I once had an old cat named Annie.

…

When I lived in Boston, there was this Pet Smart (store) that I would visit from time to time to get kitty supplies for my little buddies. It was on the road to my work, and not a big deal. It was a big warehouse like building, much like “Sam’s club” that hosed all sorts of pet supplies.

Off to the side they had a little adoption center for cats. You could look at the cats while you were waiting in line at the checkout.

I noticed one cat never left. It stayed there. Month after month. Season after season.

This was an older cat.

And no one wanted it. No one.

…

And so when I came to ask about it, the gal at the store said that she was really old, and that her owner passed away. The kids of the old man didn’t want the cat, and so the deceased children (adults really) gave it to them to find a home. They didn’t want the cat.

And so the kitty sat there, in the cage, month after month, after month alone.

That was bullshit.

…

So I adopted the kitty and named her Annie.

Poor thing. Sad all the time. Lonely. Depressed.

She became really attached to me.

She was a “rag-doll” breed and super clingy. My other cats didn’t want to have anything to do with her, and as soon as I made it home, she would come to me a meowing and crying. And so I would share my affection between her and all my other cats.

…

Now…

I had this little “thing” that I did with my cats. They all wore collars with two tags. An ID tag and a rabies tag. And when ever I opened up the door, I would get my keys and jingle them. I started to notice that my cats would do the exact thing with their collars.

If they wanted out, they would go to the door, and “jingle their keys” and I would let them out.

But, you see, Annie didn’t have any “keys”.

So we needed to get a cat collar, and some ID and rabies tags, and after a while we did. We ended up with a small box of say ten different collars. And then one day, when it was just me and Annie, I laid them all out in front of her to look at.

Now, she has always been very sad. Missing her owner, and then living with me in a house with other cats.

But something happened… a “light” went off when she saw the other collars.

She got up, and some “light”; some “energy” transformed her body.

And then, right there, in S-L-O-W motion…

I did it intentionally.

I selected the biggest, gaudiest, most “bling bling” fake jewel encrusted, fake diamond and pearl encrusted collar that I could find and placed it there off the side.

And then with it all next to her, she got up and walked over to all the collars.

She looked at big gaudy bling bling. She wanted ME to select.

She started to purr.

So I picked the big bling-bling collar.

And then…

Then she sat up, arched her back and allowed me to put it on her.

…

I wish that I could describe the moment; the transformation. The significance of that moment.

I swear… I mean it… she CHANGED.

So no more moping around. She was one of us.

She was accepted. She was great, and important and special, and she would walk with her head up high and her tail up high. She was so very proud of her collar, and it was truly a sight to behold.

She became a proud ROYAL KITTY PRINCESS.

What a moment.

…

I have never forgotten that.

…

Eventually, I had to move on, and my wife and I separated.

Annie went to live with her, while I had to continue on my life cat-less. Sigh. It’s called “life” and that is what happened then.

My ex-wife moved away to Pennsylvania while I stayed in Boston. And a few months passed.

My ex-wife, later on, however thought that Annie shouldn’t wear the collar, and took it off her.

Oh, yes. She. Did.

But you know the moping and sadness reappeared.

And my ex-wife couldn’t figure out what was going on. She just “chalked it up” on old age and a diet imbalance.

…

One day, I visited my ex-wife and checked on the kitties. And you know, I saw Annie. Sad and depressed as ever. No collar!

I went up to her. Man that was one depressed cat.

So… as soon as I saw that, I asked where the collar was.

My ex-wife went and rummaged around a bit, and found it. And I, well I put it back on her.

Guess what?

And BOOM! It was proud and happy city all over again.

If a cat could skip, then that is what Annie started to do. She was proud and happy all over again.

…

My ex-wife didn’t understand.

She mistakenly thought “freedom!” meant no collar.

But, Annie felt differently.

The Collar meant “belonging”.

It meant a role in the society; a “place at the table”. It meant status, and Annie had the most bling-bling of all the kitties. She was SPECIAL and she felt special.

…

Annie passed on, at a very ripe old age. She was a good little kitty.

She was buried with her precious collar.

I miss her.

…

Todays…

Russian Foreign Minister: “U.S. is waging war on Russia”

World Hal Turner 19 September 2023

Washington’s massive campaign to support Ukraine with arms amounts to a war against Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that the US has long groomed Kiev for this very purpose.

In a comment to Russian reporter Pavel Zarubin released on Sunday, Lavrov suggested that rumors about Washington possibly giving the green light to the delivery of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which have a range of up to 300km, were aimed at “shaping public opinion.” 

According to the minister, these deliberations would not change the fact that “for many years Ukraine has been groomed to fight with its hands and bodies in order to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.” Lavrov accused the US of controlling the hostilities between Kiev and Moscow.”  

In recent weeks, several Western media outlets have reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden is edging closer to approving deliveries of the ATACMS, which Kiev has been requesting for several months. The US has been reluctant to approve sending these missile systems, arguing that potential Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia could trigger a major escalation in the conflict.

Ukraine has already received long-range missiles from the UK and France, which, according to local officials, have been used to attack civilian targets and infrastructure in Russia’s Crimean Peninsula and Donbass.

While the US has yet to grant Kiev’s request for ATACMS, it has committed more than $43 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the conflict began, including air defense systems, armored personnel carriers, and M1 Abrams tanks. 

Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against supplying Ukraine with arms, saying that doing so will only prolong the conflict but will not change its ultimate outcome.

HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

I was reluctant to report these remarks by the Russian Foreign Minister for a simple reason: If the Russian Foreign Minister is now publicly accusing the U.S. of “controlling the hostilities between Kiev and Moscow” and also publicly saying the U.S. efforts for Ukraine amount to “the U.S. waging war upon Russia” then the only logical conclusion that __I__ can come to over such remarks is that at some point, Russia is going to strike the U.S.

Now, the mental weaklings of our society respond that such a thing is “impossible.”  In their little minds, the United States is so powerful that Russia “wouldn’t dare.”  In __my__ view, those people are wrong.

The reason they are wrong is because Russia sees the ongoing Ukraine conflict (with full material support from the west) as “an existential threat.”

They’re correct in such an assessment.   Want proof?

Back in April, I reported to you that Europe had revealed a map showing its plans to break Russia up into 43 separate countries (Story HERE).

Here is Gunther Fehlinger, Head of the Austrian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) connected to the United Nations, showing the West’s map of a world without Russia:

The revelation of this map is literal PROOF that it is the actual intention of the West to do-away with Russia.    By even manufacturing such a map, the West has shown its intent.   Russia now faces an ACTUAL existential threat.  Their very existence is at stake.

Think about the time and effort that was necessary to research the populations and ethnicities in each of these areas, where they are, and how to draw actual lines along the geography of the demographics, to create this vision of new, autonomous, countries.  The research and planning alone had to take . . .  YEARS.

So the mental weaklings who say “Russia wouldn’t dare” have their heads up their ass.   Russia may decide it has no choice.

Thus, the remarks by Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov over this weekend, are “building a case” for a massive Russian strike at the U.S.  Lavrov’s public remarks are “building a record” for posterity.

Step-by-step the U.S. has escalated the Russia-Ukraine fight. Step-by-step the U.S. and its NATO vassals continue to escalate.

Well, while the West is doing its thing, Russia is systematically building an open, public, historical record of what is actually taking place.

When a man like Sergei Lavrov utters the words he spoke over the weekend, it is as serious as a heart attack.

I will preface my further remarks by admitting I very much admire Foreign Minister Lavrov.  In my view, he is the single most competent, most skilled, Foreign Minister on the entire planet.   He says what he means, and more importantly, he means what he says.

You never once hear the Russian Foreign Ministry “walking-back” anything Lavrov says.  You never once hear the Russian government having to “clarify” what Lavrov said.

That Lavrov has now said the US is “controlling the conflict between Moscow and Kiev” lays actual involvement and responsibility for war on the US lap.

Closer and closer we seem to be coming to the moment when Russia strikes.

None of us will ever be able to say We weren’t warned.

People say that World War One was more morally ambiguous than World War Two. What were the bad things the Allies did in the First World War?

Because it is. If you think about it, World War 2 was a bit odd—it’s one of the very few wars in history where you can legitimately point out who the bad guys were. The evils the Axis committed (Germany got all the spotlight, but Japan was even worse in many ways) was so over-the-top that it seemed like something out of a children’s cartoon.

The Allies were no saints but there’s a very big difference between the Japanese internment camps in America vs literal Holocaust death camps and rape brothels the Nazis and the Japanese ran. To say otherwise is intellectually dishonest. Except for the Soviets, Allied war crimes in World War 2 were not organized or structured (and even with the Soviets, probably a large proportion were also unorganized).

World War 1 is closer to your “average historical wars”. Who is guilty? It’s an extremely complicated topic that is not lost even back in the day. The simplest explanation was “it’s a very convoluted web of alliances and interests that forced everyone to fight for something that would otherwise be a local conflict”.

Why else would an assassination of an Austrian archduke made Japanese soldiers invade the German colony in China?

Nobody was particularly better or worse in World War 1.

Stay Away From Africa If You Don’t Like Us, Africa Leaders Warn Muslim Leaders With Bad Intentions

Voice TV Nigeria is an online community of reporters and social advocates dedicated to bringing you news reports from a Nigerian-African perspective.

Why is China not labelled a pariah state?

Well, it takes a lot for a country to be so bad that it is labelled a pariah state.

For example, look at the USA in the past 40 years. In that time, it dropped bombs, fired missiles, destroyed cities and killed men, women and children in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Grenada, Uganda, Bosnia etc. And the USA still is not labelled a pariah state!

In that same period of 40 years, China fought no wars at all. Sure, it had a few skirmishes here and there. For example, its navy vessels sprayed sea water at other countries’ fishermen in the disputed areas of the South China Sea. Another time, a few Chinese and Indian soldiers fought at a disputed border area. Not a single bullet was fired – however, a few soldiers fell into an icy river and later died from hypothermia.

But these were not wars. Nothing like how, for example, the USA made up a lie about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction, and then proceeded to kill 250,000 Iraqi men, women and children.

And yet, like I said, the USA is not labelled a pariah state. So clearly China wouldn’t be.

Today, China is even busily rebuilding schools, homes and hospitals in Iraq! (After all the destruction caused by the USA).

Southern Fried Chocolate Pies

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold margarine
• Vegetable oil*

* Use peanut or safflower oil or solid vegetable shortening for frying.

Instructions

1. Crust: sift flour and salt together; cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knifes, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
2. Add ice water a little at a time while tossing with a fork, until dough holds together. Do not get too moist.
3. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into circles about five inches in diameter.
4. Mix cocoa powder with the sugar. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of this mixture onto one half of the circle and place 3 very thin slices of cold margarine on top. Fold opposite side over mixture and seal with a fork dipped in flour.
5. Pour oil to a depth of about 1/2 inch in a cast iron skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot.
6. Place pies in a single layer in oil and fry, turning to brown each side.
7. Serve hot, warm, or cold.

WE RETIRED IN AMERICA AND MOVED TO GHANA WITHOUT VISITING!

African Americans are returning to countries like Ghana more than 400 years after their ancestors left Africa as slaves. Many say they want either to reconnect to history, or resettle on the continent. Helen and Timothy are retirees who had lived all their lives in the USA. Timothy was in the military while he worked and Helen was in the field of Social Sciences. They recently made the big decision to move to Ghana. In this video, they share the amazing experiences they have had since moving here.

What do you do if someone is trespassing on your property?

I have given all my neighbors permission to walk my land. I have posted signs saying private property please treat with respect. I have put up signs saying no motorized vehicles. On a website , the Google pin says you can cross to the river, on my property. Its a pin someone added, because they didn’t like the official pin. So a lot of people thought it was public access, because the website quite rightly says its public access where they have the official pin, but its not the first pin they see. I have had the erroneous pin removed three times, but someone keeps adding it back.

I grew up in the country, all the neighbors were friends, and they all allowed me access to their property. So I try to treat people the same way.

I finally had to block it off, because mudder truckers, atvers, and motor homes, and partiers were driving through. But I still allowed foot traffic.

One day I hear a thunk, thunk sound. So I wander over, and a group of 12–13 year olds were sitting with a raft in my driveway, throwing rocks at my private property, please treat with respect sign. Their parents had dropped them off, and then driven down stream to leave a vehicle there.

I raised my voice, I got all of their names. I threatened to wait for their father, and finally I told them that I would put up a gate, blocking access, with a sign saying access closed, because of the actions of these people, and then list their names. They apologized profusely, and never caused any more trouble.

One day while sitting on my deck on Sunday afternoon, two people walked across my yard, not 50 feet from me. I went and put on my shoes, to have a talk with them, by the time I caught up, they were naked having sex on the lawn furniture around my firepit. I took a picture and I asked them what they were doing, but it was already obvious. They said they were just going to go for a swim in the glacier fed river. They apologized, and put their clothes back on. I asked them why they walked right by my house, rather than use the trail I left open for people to walk to the river. They claimed that they were so excited to get to the river, that they never even noticed my house.

Another time I see somebody run into my outhouse, beside my firepit. So I wander over, and they had violent diarrhea, coating the toilet seat and their pants. I didn’t say anything rude, I just brought over the power washer, and made them spray it out. I also offered them an old pair of sweat pants, and a garbage bag for their pants, which they accepted.

After I blocked the driveway, because of motorized vehicles use, people started using the other driveway that went by my house. So I chained up the only river access past my house, so they would have to drive right back, beside my house on the way back.

Then they started randomly driving through bush and cutting trees to get to the river. I hauled in about 50 1 ton rocks, and placed them in easy spots. After a couple of years the brush had grown up beside the boulders.

One day I’m out splitting firewood, and I hear a big bang. Then this terrible squealing sound. So I wander towards the noise, and there is a truck just getting back on the road, steam shooting out of the grill, and oil dripping. The left front tire was at a 20 degree angle to the right tire. Something under the hood was squealing, and once he started driving down the road, he left a black mark for miles, and the tire screeched as well. I didn’t get the license plate, and I never saw the truck again. But it looked like he made it about 12 km, before the tire blew, judging by the black marks.

That’s what I do to trespassers. It depends on the circumstances

Remy: Try That in a Large Town (Jason Aldean parody)

It’s a sign of the times. America.

Funny.

What did someone do in TSA/airport security that made you say “You gotta be kidding me”?

I’d just spent a solid month working in Boulder, staying in a Residence Inn with a full kitchen… and I cook. I was heading home and decided to bring the small box of kosher salt I had purchased and used almost every night for a month. I got to the airport at my normal time… about 90 minutes before boarding. I checked one bag, and had a computer and a smaller bag that happened to have the salt box. I got to TSA, and the line was horrendous. No problem, I never get hassled, right?

The box of salt lit up the xray system. I got pulled out of line, the bag was to be searched, and just for good measure they were going to search and swab the computer bag. Oh. Damn.

I was asked if I had anything sharp or dangerous in the suitcase, and answered “No.” The bozo checking the luggage pulls out the box of salt and waves a couple of Denver cops over, convinced he’s found a terrorist. Holds the box of Morton Kosher Salt up to attract the attention of his supervisor. And then he pulls everything else out of the suitcase AND the computer backpack. I’m fed up. I’m watching time click down. He intends to make sure I miss my flight. I challenge him and he says it’s a white crystalline substance. I offer to taste it in front on him, and/or for him to taste it. I mean, it’s SALT. He tells me, first, that he’s an organic chemist, and then that salt is a normal constituent of organic explosives. I’m getting ready to go ballistic when one of the cops whispers, “Just calm down and let the idiot finish this thing”… THe TSA supervisor comes over, and calmly suggests I “surrender” the box of salt and the cop whispers “Do it”. I’m getting the sense the cops are really on my side. One’s quietly on his radio and neither are looking more than amused at the TSA agent being a salted idiot. Supervisor tells the agent to reassemble my stuff and get me out of there, and the agent wants to argue that, having had at least one piece of contraband there’s likely more. I think he wanted to find an assault rifle in my pocket or something. A little more persuasion by the supervisor, and my stuff is back in the xray system and is clean. I get my gear and start for the escalators that take you down to the train. Each cop grabs a bag from me, directs me to the escalator, and say, “Run, they’re holding a train.” Damn! There’s a train with lights flashing, and another cop keeping a door open and space clear in the car. We get to my departure terminal, and they still have my bags. Go up to the concourse and we’re a LONG way from a plane that’s supposed to be gone already. “RUN!”. I start heading for the gate and see 2 airline employees running toward me. They go past me and grab bags from the cops. One of the cops manages to get me his business card and says, “We saw everything he did. We have his name and badge number. If you want to file a complaint, we’ll back you up.” I stammered a thank you, and ran the rest of the way to the gate. They’d literally held a plane full of people so I could get home. My laptop was in my seat on the plane by the time I got down the aisle, and yes, my carryon bag was gate checked, and it, too, made the plane and the trip home.

All over a box of kosher salt and someone who might have had delusions of intelligence.

G60: the Story of China’s Other Starlink Competitor

By now, you have probably heard of China’s megaconstellation project to complete with Starlink: “Guowang”. But did you know that a second megaconstellation plan is emerging in the region of Shanghai? Called “G60 Starlink”, this constellation calls for 1,296 and then 12,000 satellites to be sent to low Earth orbit. There’s also a fascinating geopolitical twist involving Germany and the United States, highlighting the global struggle for licenses. Let’s dive deep into this story. Enjoy!

What’s the pettiest thing you’ve done to get back at a nuisance neighbor?

When we bought our house it became obvious rather quickly that we had a problem neighbor. Her property abutted ours at the back fence and she would throw her weeds over onto our property. I asked her politely to stop to no avail. She had also plumbed her washing machine from the garage through PVC piping that ran under our fence and over our property. Once again there was no reasoning with her as she told me she had lived in her house for over 20 years and we would just have to put up with it. Yes, I know I could have called the city to get it stopped but didn’t want to start an outright war in our new neighborhood. I got myself a long 2×2 and three lovely large Idaho potatoes and rammed them way up that drainage pipe. We all know what happens to potatoes in a dark, damp environment and I didn’t have to wait too long to know if my rather mean solution worked. The neighbor next door to her that was friendly towards me stopped to chat one day. He said “Poor Carol, her washing machine backed up and flooded her garage and when she called a plumber he told her it had been plumbed illegally and he had to replumb up to code; it cost her a lot.” “Oh what a shame,” said I and really had no guilt, or no more problems with her either.

What is the most expensive lesson a company got after firing an employee?

Ages ago, I worked for a magazine publisher, and was friends with a terrific editor in another department. She shepherded several “custom” magazines for important clients.

At some point, her husband landed a job in another state. Thinking she might like to live with him, so came up with a plan by which she’d continue with the magazines, working with staff via phone and overnight mail (this was the 1980s, so no email, videoconferencing, etc.) and monthly trips to HQ for face time.

Well, the idea of what today we know as remote working made no sense to the big thinkers in the front office, so they thanked her for her service and wished her well in the years ahead.

And found out that the clients weren’t in love with the company—they were in love with “their” editor! And when they learned they were losing her, they canceled their contracts.

Several million dollars. Gone. Just like that.

Worse: one of our regional competitors (who’d already hired away some of our people), swooped in, hired the editor, and landed at least one of the disgruntled clients she’d previously dealt with.

For the next several years she worked remotely for our competitor, exactly in the manner she’d outlined to her now former employer. Oops.

Footnote: The company we’d worked for, over 100 years old at that time, evaporated a few years later, under the peerless leadership described above. And our competitor? Still going, and bigger than ever.

Niger’s Bold Move: Halting Uranium Export to France and Expelling US Ambassador

“Africa must unite as one continent and kick out all foreign military forces in their counters and remove all puppet governments…..enough is enough how long still have the African child to suffer under the hands of this wicked people….If they want war war it shall be…..But know one thing African child God is with you and God will fight this final battle for your total and completely liberation from your oppressors….”

What was a gift that made you speechless?

My husband passed away suddenly 6 years ago. We were living in a fairly remote place, and I wanted to return to the area we came from, in the northeast. It was a huge move, because not only did I have an entire household, but all his tools and musical equipment, and 3 dogs. I was really unsure how I was going to accomplish this.

I had a friend I had never met in real life – we had become friends on a forum for people who had Doberman Pinschers, but it was much more than that – there were ongoing, fascinating threads on philosophy, politics, medicine, religion/spirituality, cooking, crafts, photography – you name it.

Anyway, we clicked, and had become quite close. I helped him tweak a CV for a new consulting business he was building, and he called me every single day for 4 months after my husband died, to make sure I was OK. Even my family didn’t do that.

When I found a place in NY, I began to make plans to move. He told me that when it was time to go, he was going to come help me move. I was floored. I couldn’t believe someone would be so generous of their valuable time. Sure enough, he flew out west, and spent 2 weeks helping pack and load things into a POD, then rent a UHaul, load that up with immediate things, and then we took off on a 10-day, 2500-mile trek across the country.

When we arrived here, he unloaded the truck & trailer, set things up for me, cooked for me, and all kinds of really supportive things. When the POD was delivered, he and a couple of guys unloaded it, and he put things wherever I needed them. He stayed for many weeks, not willing to leave until he felt I was secure and stable, and the house functioned for me.

To me, that was the most generous, kind, selfless and thoughtful gift I’ve ever gotten. We remain the best of friends, even though we are 1,000 miles apart. We do whatever we can to help each other and support each other, and I am lucky to have such a fantastic friend. True friends are more valuable than anything.

What does Huawei’s new phone series mean for Apple in China?

Just as Apple benefitted by cannibalizing Huawei’s drastic reduction in volume shipped since 2018/19, Huawei will cannibalize Apple’s increased market share today.

China has reached peak iPhone. Apple will not set new sale records in Greater China anymore.

The iPhone depends on foreign suppliers for many components. America’s trade and tech war with China has forged a divergence in the supply chain, because doing business with certain entities can trigger landmines that cripple and maim. Industry players either have a reduced customer base or can only shop from a limited number of suppliers. This has worsened as America continue to abuse sanction privilege.

This strategy works only if one side is at relative disadvantage, such as a tech/quality gap. But what happens when there are different core strengths distributed between the sides? Apple won’t have open access to the best components, on account of risk or actual restrictions. Apple’s iphone is heavily dependent on Chinese engineering, and these partners have helped deliver new model generations like clockwork for more than 15 years. The very basis for the Apple hardware eco-system may need to be relooked.

As Huawei and partners continue to make independent inroads to the premium space, partners that used to rely heavily on Apple’s business will be enticed to offer their best components to domestic competition. This is prudent risk management, brought to the forefront by the draconian nature of the Huawei sanctions.

There may come a point in time where the best that Apple can find ex-China is a step down from what the Chinese competition can deliver. The smartphone standards of tomorrow will be increasingly written by the Chinese.

Case in point: batteries and chargers today. 6G, and imaging tomorrow.

Honor is headquartered in Shenzhen.

Note: There are really only three legs left in the smartphone business: Apple, Samsung, and the Chinese.

Oliver Anthony – “90 Some Chevy” REACTION

I like this song. Love her reaction.

Two Chinese phrases

In the Chinese-language reporting on the launch of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro, two Chinese phrases keep showing up:

• 去美化 which means “de-Americanization” of the supply chain, and in a broader sense, removing anything American;
• 自主品牌 which means “self-owned (Chinese) brands” as opposed to foreign brands like Apple

Huawei tapped into the pent-up Chinese anger at how China has been treated by the west, but which did not have a chance to show. The launch of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro and its record orders are a way for ordinary Chinese to show that they have had enough of the tough talk coming from the US, and even though the Chinese economy, and especially real estate are slow, they now have a way to show that the old way of doing things no longer work for them.

This is why they have rallied around de-Americanization of the supply chain and Chinese brands.

Chinese brands will now have to face questioning from Chinese customers.

• “Do you have foreign components in your products? If you do, why do you need foreign components when Chinese components which are just as good are available?”

This means that the leading US chip brands: Intel, Qualcomm and Nvidia are going to be hit really hard. TSMC will be hit hard for siding with the US and supporting US decoupling from China.

Chinese nationalism is a very powerful force in Chinese history, and the US has released it. Only the Chinese Communist Party can control it and keep it from going completely wild.

While the US and many Americans hate the Party, it is the devil which the US knows.

The other devils are much, much worse than the Party.

MY HUSBAND COULDN’T STOP CRYING!!! OLIVER ANTHONY – I’VE GOT TO GET SOBER (REACTION)

“One thing I’ve been noticing is that Oliver Anthony is making grown men cry, more than a lot of other sad songs people react to. And the reason why, I believe, is because here is this man. This God fearing, manly man, honest and true, expressing himself as a man. There is nothing weak about it. He touches men’s nerves from one man to another man, without any elements of weakness or inferiority or even femininity. He’s allowing men to feel understood and allowing then to express themselves.”

What is the most heartbreaking thing you have seen in the United States?

We didn’t know what to do.

We were in a mediocre restaurant in Arizona having flown there from Canada. Our waitress was in her early 80s and had rheumatoid arthritis in her gnarled, misshaped hands and feet, and there she was working as a waitress. She was suffering with every step and with every movement of her hands. Another waitress was the same. Their hands and feet were swollen. We didn’t know where to look.

In Canada we don’t see this. If an elderly woman with difficulties works in a restaurant it’s because she owns it and won’t go home.

So seeing a waitress this age with rheumatoid arthritis working this way was shocking to us and very upsetting. We ordered tea and toast so she would not have heavy plates to lift. We left her a $50.00 tip and got out of there.

Watching these women struggle this way was heartbreaking. I hope I never see this again.

What is the most offensive thing someone has ever asked you?

A friend of my wifes mother responded to my wife’s pleasant email, about taking her getting extra vacation this year, so she would be stopping by when visiting her mother. The mothers friend just replied WTF.

My wife was stunned, and wondered what she meant by it.

I said the best thing is to just ask her

So my wife asked what she intended by saying WTF.

The reply was “Fantastic”

My wife phoned her, to clarify.

It turns out her grand daughter always says WTF in her texts.

So she asked her what it meant, and the grand daughter, rolling her eyes had told her “Well That’s Fantastic”

So she had been using it to appear modern, whenever she heard good news.

My wife phoned her mother’s friends daughter, ( a school friend) and told her, what her 13 year old daughter had told her grandmother, and had her straighten it all out.

She couldn’t bear to let this nice old lady continue to use WTF in completely inappropriate circumstances.

African American moved to Ghana to build a 4 bedroom home and live her dream life |Exploring Asebu

In this video, we meet the very lovely Karen King and check out her 4 bedroom home in Asebu’s Pan African Village. We had such a great time talking to her, walking through her home and learning about her journey in Ghana so far.

What do Americans in the US love most about Americans?

My favorite part about Americans and American culture in general is what I call “the American Mulligan”. Here, in the US, failure is expected. Starting a business and having it collapse? Just a part of growth and improvement. Got fired from your senior manager role for performance? That’s okay, these kinds of things happen. Changed careers at 35? Great! We love that because it makes you more well-rounded.

In the US, we love a comeback to such a degree that in my business (tech recruiting), we almost look for candidates who’ve tried and failed to run a business. They are wiser and generally manage better than people who’ve had smooth sailing their entire professional career. When I talk with my professional friends from other countries, they generally cite this as one of the best parts about being in the US.

Should Apple distance itself from China?

If Apple were to distance itself from China, it must find another place that has skilled people in suffiucient numbers, the same level of automation as China, and the availability of alternative raw materials that China can provide.

The only country that is big enough to meet the needs is India. So Apple moved some production to India a few years go. But it turned out to be a disaster because there are not enough skilled people in India and they still need to rely on China’s supply chain. As a result of the lack of sufficient skilled workers, the defect rate came to about 50% – pushing costs ridiculously high.

Apple has now abandoned most of the production in India, suffering huge losses, and wants to come back to China.

THE NEW KING OF SOUL!!! OLIVER ANTHONY – 90 SOME CHEVY (REACTION)

We all going to church and didn’t even know it…this guy is showing us all that we do have a common bond…it’s called life…and trying to live it. Keep on preaching Oliver. Take us all to church

I caught my neighbor using my electrical outlets outside, and I told him I was going to call the cops and tell them what he was doing. He laughed and said I can’t prove it. What should I do?

As a master electrician, I solved my issue very easily. My (now ex) neighbor was using the outside outlet on my detached garage to build his addition. I turned the breaker off – he turned it on. I asked him to stop and he did not.

I simply rewired the neutral on the 120 volt outlet to convert it to 240 volts, watched (and grinned) as he burned up his table saw, his battery charger and a table router all within one day. He had no idea as to why.

If he has simply asked, as he should have, before using my power, I would probably have allowed it – as least for a reasonable amount of time.

EDIT 1: I have had some suggestions that I could get into trouble with my “fix”. I did disclose to the neighbor what I did a few days later and he called the sheriff’s office. The deputy that came out listened to both sides and then asked ME if I wanted to charge the neighbor with theft. I just let it drop and he moved out a short time later.

EDIT 2: I have had some people say that I should have put “warnings” on my answer about the possibility of fire and personal injury. C’mon people! This is a REPLY to a post – NOT a TUTORIAL!!!

Have you ever had a pet that was almost unnaturally intelligent?

My father bought a horse when I was about 13, mainly because he was very placid in the sales ring. He was an exceedingly nice and smart horse, a very good riding horse who loved people. He would respond to spoken instructions such as, “go and get the bucket and I will give you some oats.” I did not teach him that, I just said it one day and he brought me the empty bucket. Ten years later I was home for a visit and a car stopped by our pasture. A man of about age 30 got out and walked out to the horse who whinneyed and ran up to him, acting like a big dog to his favorite master. The man told us that he raised that horse from birth, but his father sold him when the boy was sent to Vietnam. He started giving him subtle signals and the horse would dance, kneel down, stand up on his back legs, and even gave that fella a kiss on the cheek. He asked how much to buy him back. My Dad said, “Son, he’s yours. Thanks for your service. Your horse is mighty glad you came back for him.”

MY SISTER COULDN’T CONTROL IT!!💔OLIVER ANTHONY – I’VE GOT TO GET SOBER

“I grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee within the USA. Working very hard as a child in a family business. Worked my way through college and into a technical role. So, ladies, my life is very different from yours, but even so, I see both of you as my sisters in my heart because the unifying message within OAM has built a bridge from my soul to yours.”

FLASH: U.S. Moving Combat Jets to Romania – “in addition to others committed to NATO”

World Hal Turner

The United States is moving Combat Aircraft to Romania — but not for NATO.  What does THAT translate to, in your mind?  US v. Russia directly? Word of this came from US Ambassador to Romania, Kathleen Kavalec.

“The United States plans to station combat aircraft in Romania in addition to those performing NATO air policing duties” said the Ambassador.

Notice she said “Combat” aircraft.   Not refueling tankers or cargo planes . . . . no . . . .  she explicitly said combat aircraft.

Did all of us somehow miss a vote in Congress about some minor  little detail like direct US war against Russia?

How do you handle that one relative who insists every time on ordering the most expensive item at the restaurant when you are paying?

Not quite the same.

Every Mother’s Day the family would go out for dinner and of course we all chipped in the same amount & it covered Mom’s meal and the tip (10 people + Mom).

We’re 7 adults and 3 ‘kids’ so no big issue, right? But…this one time was too much for me.

Grand daughter came with her boyfriend, daughter & son, 2 of them are drinking age and I can’t remember how much alcohol they ordered but it was at least 3 mimosas and 3 glasses of wine.

Only 2 of their meals were from the Mother’s Day specials.

Rest of us ordered from the specials menu & I think 3 glasses of wine & 2 beers. This place was VERY reasonably priced.

I was single mother of 2, 1 of which was working & not able to attend and the other had health issues, not a big eater.

I ordered a special & my son ordered 2 appetizers & 2 glasses of milk (he asked before ordering the 2nd milk because money is tight for us).

I drank water with dinner & for dessert I had tea & son & I shared the dessert that came with my meal.

Bill comes & I hand over $40 hoping it will cover our share (if you took off the bar tab it should have been no more than $35!).

I asked if they needed more from us.

The grand daughter & crew on the other hand, chipped in $60 – wait? What? For 4 people + chip-in +tax & tip? The person handling the bill said something & I think they chipped in another $30 (really should have been at least another $40!

A year later Mother’s Day coming up again.

Family wants to make plans again to go out.

I told them no, I can’t afford it.

My sister pushed & pushed for why – I finally told them I can’t afford everyone’s bar tab!

We went, everyone paid their OWN bar tab & guess what?

Only cost me $35! Grand daughter & crew ordered more reasonably priced food & had a MUCH smaller bar tab!

Southern Pineapple Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 2 cups Crisco
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Cream sugar and shortening.
2. Add eggs one at a time.
3. Add flour and salt gradually.
4. Stir in vanilla extract and pineapple.
5. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 350 degrees F for about 1 1/2 hours. Or bake in two greased and floured loaf pans for about 1 hour.

SINGING FROM HIS SOUL!!! OLIVER ANTHONY – AIN’T GOT A DOLLAR (REACTION)

A broken vessel was chosen to remind us GENTLY AND ONCE AGAIN, that we are one. This is generational. Who else could walk onto some side stage at a festival and immediately draw the entire crowd from every genre and have them all know that he’s their voice?…..huggi g…laughing…..crying. Again, this is NOT of this earth. We gotta all be praying for our bizarre, broken vessel RIGHT NOW. Evil despises this man.

Huawei raises production order for Mate 60 Pro by 10M due to high demand

The original order was 6M units.

Some project 35M units sold by year-end.

This will put strong pressure on the Apple iPhone 15 line which launches on Sept. 12. Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro line is expected to take sales from the high-end for Apple.

Xiaomi, OPPO are going to have a very hard time surviving in this very challenging environment.

Huawei is now Team China, and Apple is Team USA.

What is the reason for China’s sudden massive increase in their gold reserves?

Last year China held $1.3 trillion dollars worth of US bonds. … with other asset kept in US bank.. making a total of 3.5 trillions dollars in foreign reserves…ALL kept in the USA.

Last year, Biden confiscated US$300 billions of Russia’s foreign reserves …kept in the US banks. This was a warning to China…the same thing can or will happen to China.

The US is now bankrupt…unable to repay its debts. Biden plans play DIRTY… His plan was to start a war with China and using the war as the excuse …to confiscate all the US$3.5 trillions dollars China has in reserves (10 times more than what Biden has stolen from Russia).

China is not stupid.

Last year, China sold US$580 billions dollars in US bond and bought gold bars. (US bond is the easiest to liquidate). The first six months of 2023, China sold other asset in the US … China bought 108 tons of gold.

China will progressively sell off its holding of US bond and other US debts …to buy more gold …until all the 3.5 trillions dollars in US reserves are completely liquidated.

Holding gold bars is much safer than holding US bonds.