I’ve been checking in on my old classmates and friends back in the states. I was surprised how many had died, but was pleasantly surprised with what happened to others.
For some reason, fate, or chance most of the guys that I hung out with were usually younger than myself. Often five to eight years younger. I never did fit in with the older kids. Perhaps that was because I never got the chance to meet any of them.
I didn’t have any older siblings. I was, after all, the oldest.
Ah, when I did, maybe in Junior year, they would take a “shine” to me and I would go under their wing. But yeah… most of the time I was always the oldest one in the bunch.
Anyways, let’s go back and way back to early elementary school.
My boyhood “best friend” in elementary school; “Deano” was a kid that lived across the street from me in East Brady, PA.We attended both elementary, and High School together…
I used to play with him, and then when I was in my teens, with his brother Dan. We (by the way) both worked together at the local supermarket “Shop & Save”. But this isn’t about Dan. This is about Dean.
Oh…
Here’s the Middle and High School of East Brady. The “Old building”.
They closed the school down in the 1990’s because there wasn’t enough students and consolidated it with another school, and the building was repurposed to a local town office.
Now, my friend, Deano, well, I haven’t talked with him since my exit from the Navy and a brief stay at my mother’s house way back in 1981.
At that time, he was working for USS Steel.
And he was laid off, as I was later once I got out of the Navy, and on my MAJ path.
Turned out that he found a job in New Kensington, Pa and worked there for like forever. Lucky guy. “He got into windows”. Boring, but stable. And he rode out the 1980s, the 1990s, the 2000s, the 2010s and the COVID era. Eventually retiring with full pension and social security benefits on top of his 401(K).
Fun fact, I briefly tried to contact him back in 2018 or so to supply some window components to him. I sent him a pamphlet, but he never responded. Probably tossed it away.
For me it was four decades of layoffs. One after the other after the other. Yah. He did far, far better than me.
You Bastard! Love you though!
Good for ya!
Now, Imagine my surprise that I read what he was up to. Well, I was surprised that immediately after he retired, that he moved.
Well, he moved to Pattaya, Thailand.
Ah. good for him. I’m sure that he’s single and enjoying the life as a “Handsome Man”.
You don’t move to Thailand with a family. Don’t you know. It’s highly unusual.
You move there after a divorce, or when you are single. Few, move there with a wife. It happens, but not often. Most men arrive single. And, there, they enjoy the life and pleasures of being single.
I did have an opportunity; a very high paying one in Thailand.
I was offered a CEO position with the largest appliance company in Thailand, for great money. But my wife said "absolutely NOT!". She didn;t want to discuss things. She didn't want to hear the pros and cons. She didn't want to know the potentials for us. She said NO. And you know, as they say; "that was that!".
I hope that he spend the rest of his days enjoying the relaxed life, good food, and friendships that he will make there. He’s an avid golfer, and I’m sure that after a life of corporate work outside of Pittsburgh, he wants a real change.
Yuppur!
Enjoy your life, you deserve it!
I don’t have Facebook, so I haven’t contacted him. But I am really happy to know that he is retired and living “the life” not too far from where I live.
Go Deano!
…
Another guy is Peter.
He was one of my “best friends” when I attended university. He and a classmate, also a great friend; Jay shared a dorm room, and I was always there enjoying our times together and drinking beer, smoking cigars, chatting it all up, and studying together.
They lived in Day Hall; eighth floor. The “penthouse” floor of the tallest skyscraper on the highest hill. Only eight floors. LOL.
When we graduated, I went into the Navy to fly, and you all know my story. Well, Peter went into IBM. Where he stayed and then retired out.
He opened a page in LinkedIN, and never updated. His picture is and has been decades old. But why update? He never ever got a different job. He was a stable worker. A work horse. A loyal follower.
While I was an explorer, a dreamer; a risk taker, and always had my “head in the clouds”.
So yeah. He’s still on LinkedIN.
Never made waves. Never updated.
But myself, well it’s the opposite.
I’m perma-banned. I live in “evil” China. So I must be a non-person.
Anyways, as he never updated it, but after decades and decades of cobwebs, there was a final update. He added a statement to say that he retired.
I did try to connect with him about ten years ago, but he never responded. I know he got the message. My COMM line lit up confirming that contact. But he didn’t want to reconnect. *sigh* I guess he wanted to move on.
Well, he is retired, and great for him. I wish him the very best.
I am confident that he has a nice retirement plan and is doing well. Wherever he is. You go Peter!
Here’s some of his latest pictures (un-accessible to myself) on his Facebook page…
I imagine that he is going to settle down and just keep on being himself in the town that he grew up in, and the region that he loves. It’s his way, and I am sure that he is doing just fine.
Everyone is retired and moving on.
Gosh. I can hardly recognize anyone. They all look so different.
Me, I think that I will continue to work and do what I am doing until I die. I’ve found a sort of lifestyle cubby-hole that I am somehow fitting in right now. But that is good enough for me.
No retirement for me.
Just a lower level of activity, but still jam-packed days.
Like running two companies, and producing videos, metallicman content, and raising a little girl. My engine is stuck on full throttle.
Oh, speaking of content…
In case you all haven’t been told, I was interviewed by Jeff on Radio sinoland. Maybe I mentioned it before. Ah. I don’t remember.I put it on a Quora post. I don’t remember if I put it here.
But if you haven’t seen it, you can watch it by clinking on this link below…
Quora China “Expert” Vannrox was interviewed on China Raising Radio Sinoland
Here’s my interview with Jeff on a wide range of topics regarding China. I hope that you will all take a moment and hear out my thoughts on what is going on in China. In the interview, we discuss the latest changes in strategic direction, the growth of the largest metro area in China, Macao, and what will happen to the QUAD and much more…
Video interview plus transcript HERE.
I’m still a pluggin’ away. Livin’ life.
I’m not the kind of guy that is gonna fade into black. Fade into the background. Grow silent and disappear. No. I’m the kind of guy that is drinking a glass of wine while I slide onto home plate with a lei of flowers around my neck.
Today…
Have you ever been invited to something that turned out to be another thing entirely?
Yes, Unfortunately. I met this woman and we started dating. Sort of casual I guess. We had only been out five or so times. We weren’t intimate or anything. Just getting to know each other.
She asked If I wanted to go to a barbecue of sorts her ‘good friend’ from her old neighbourhood was hosting. Apparently , there was going to be a group of her old friends there.
We arrived at the house and her friend came out of the house. The two women were obviously excited to see each other , having not seen each other in a while. They were all hugs, and ‘oh how are you.?” Finally the woman I’m with, says, “this is Rick” Her friend looked at me, ,looked me up and down. Didn’t say ‘hello’, or , ‘glad you could come’ – nothing. And she was the host . She then turns away. The two are chatting wildly and walk toward the house. They enter the house and closed the door behind them. I’m still standing in the driveway. So now I’m not sure what to do. I was embarrassed.
I found out later, they both went to the backyard, and my friend was walking around greeting everyone. Then someone asked her, “Did you come alone?” She looks around and notices I’m not there. She said to her friend, “Where’s Rick? Did we leave him in the driveway.?”
She came out to the driveway, just in time to see my car turning out of the subdivision at the end of a very long street. A while later, my phone rang. I didn’t answer. It rang again later that night. I didn’t answer it.
The next morning, Sunday, my phone rang around 11a.m. It was her. She said, “What happened yesterday? You left?”
I said, ‘Yes, I did. You invited me to a party. Your friend, the host, was rude. She did not even bother to say ‘hello’ She just stared at me like she didn’t want me there. Then you walked into the house and shut the door. I was standing in the driveway by myself like an idiot. Did you think I was just going to hang around out there by myself?”
She got sort of quiet, then said, “I’m sorry” Obviously she realized what a position she had put me in. I was embarrassed and felt pretty bad about being invited to a party to meet some new people, then not even being invited inside.
The conversation didn’t go well from there. I think she realized she had blown it with me. Too bad, because I was hoping for more, but this really just made me feel very negative, especially since I had gone out of my way to make sure she had a good time whenever we were together.
What is legal in Germany but illegal in the United States?
There are some things. The most stunning for me are the first two:
- It is not illegal in Germany, to break out of a prison. Why? Because the German law considers “being free” as a human need, like eating and drinking. So a prisoner who escaped can’t be blamed for his action. Of course the police will do everything to get him/her back into jail, but no additional charges will follow as long as no other laws were broken. So in this case, hold my beer: Germany has even more freedom than the U.S. of A. 😉
- Alcohol: Drinking beer, wine and champagne is legal at 16, everything else with higher percentages is allowed at age 18.
- Public drinking is allowed in most places and cities of Germany. Some have laws that forbid public drinking, but these laws are legally controversial and no cop will care anyway as long as you act normal.
- 2/3 of all areas on the “Autobahn” freeways have no speed limit at all. The standard speed for most of the other sections is 81 mp/h, or 130 km/h, plus a 3% tolerance.
- Besides “normal” milk you can also buy raw milk (non-pasteurized) in supermarkets across the country. AFAIR this is not legal in many U.S. states anymore (for some reason not even from the farmer), because of the risk of typhus. Listeria is the risk/reason the US doesn’t allow for unpasteurized raw milk.
- Yes, you were perhaps waiting for it: Kinder Eggs.
- Cuban cigars like Cohibas and Havana Club rum can be sold, bought and traded ever since. But OK, this is a very US specific thing.
- Consensual sex is allowed from age 14 on, if the other person is not older than 21. In case of doubt, officials are asked to research and check that no one got talked into sex.
I bet there are many more things that I’m not aware of or can’t recall atm.
The kitten did not stop crying at the shelter, but suddenly he heard a familiar voice…
Reincarnation story about a kitty.
What was the first thing you did after separating from your husband?
My ex wife moved out. First thing I did was to stop paying the mortgage and put the house up for sale. Then I found a nice apartment and moved.
During the separation and I was in the home she made my life absolute hell. I would return from a weekend trip to a wrecked home; she’d used the time I was gone to destroy the home. When I returned home I’d spend the rest of my Sunday through Tuesday cleaning up. I’d leave the home spotless. After 20 years in the military I can assure you the one thing I absolutely knew how to do was clean.
Moving into my apartment was liberating. Peaceful, just amazing. Felt like I had been a prisoner in my home for years.
she saddled me with as much of her debt as she possibly could. Did everything she could to go after as much of my income as she could.
I started my life over. I’ve built a much better life for myself alone. I’ve forgiven her for everything she’s done to me.
one day I did call her and apologized for my part in the downfall of the marriage. That was only met with her claiming that she was the perfect wife.
that day I realized that I’d never be in a relationship with a woman who could never admit and acknowledge her faults.
the woman I’m with now took the opportunity to thank my ex wife for divorcing me. Because that put the best man she has ever met into her life.
I live a happy life with little drama. Her and I share so many similar passions in life. We do so much together and for each other.
Have you ever told off another person’s child? What for?
I was in a shoe shop the other day with my elderly Mother – she is 87 and not very steady on her feet. There was a lady in the shop with two kids – a little boy of about three and a little girl who was four or five years old.
The kids were racing round and round in large circles shrieking and squealing. The little girl ran straight into my Mum, who I managed to steady before she fell to the ground. I also put one hand out to stop the little girl as she still had forward momentum. I quietly and calmly told the little girl to stop running around and to be careful. The mother of the kid looked up and went ape-shit at me for touching and telling off her daughter. I explained that she had nearly knocked over my 87 year old Mum. She didn’t care. She said that my mother hadn’t fallen (thank goodness – or she may have broken a hip or something) and therefore I had no business telling her child off. She was yelling at me, accusing me of being racist, assaulting her child, etc etc. I apologised, explained my reasons again, and turned my back on her to pay for Mum’s new shoes.
The kids started running around the shop again, knocking over piles of shoe boxes and a display. The shop worker asked the kids to settle down and stop running. No raised voice, but firmly spoken. I finalised my transaction and the shop assistant started clearing up the fallen shoes, together with the second worker who had emerged from the store room with shoes for another customer. The kid’s mother started yelling at the shop assistant, again, accusing her of being racist and that she had no business telling her kids what to do. Goodness knows why she accused both of us of being racist – the issue was with her child’s behaviour and her indifference to it, not about colour.
As Mum and I were leaving the store, I heard the shop assistant politely asking that woman to take her two children out of the shop. Not sure what happened next, as we moved on in the mall to a coffee shop, because Mum wanted to sit down. She was quite distressed by the whole episode (she has early dementia and is easily confused by what is going on around her).
F*@k the Media! I Went to China…(Truth about Shanghai)
What is the most ridiculous reason for which a flight was delayed?
In 2016, a woman boarded a flight from Philadelphia to Syracuse on American Airlines.
After she settled into her seat, she noticed the passenger next to her scribbling in some strange writing. Curious, she took a closer look to see what her seatmate seemed to be so busy working on.
She recognised none of it. It was in some strange language she couldn’t understand. It was probably code for something, possibly something sinister.
She took a closer look at the man, and found him a little alarming. She noticed his rather unkempt hair, his darker complexion.
She asked him if he was from Syracuse. He curtly answered that he wasn’t, still focused on his work. She noticed his foreign accent.
She felt unease, that she was in grave danger.
She decided to write down something of her own. She quickly wrote a note, called the attention of a stewardess, and handed her the note. She also claimed she felt too ill to take that flight at the moment and needed to disembark.
Their plane continued to made preparations to take off, but then seemed to abandon that and returned to the gate. The next thing he knows, her fellow passenger was asked by the stewardess to leave his seat and come with her.
He was taken off the plane and into a waiting room. Later, he was questioned by security.
He asked them what it was about. He was told a passenger reported him on suspicions of being a terrorist. How come? He was writing strange things on a pad of paper.
They interrogated him for two hours. (That’s not necessarily out of the ordinary as airline companies generally take terrorism allegations very seriously.) They had to make sure he was absolutely not a terrorist. Once they did, he was allowed to re-board his flight which by then had also been delayed by two hours.
The man was Guido Menzio, an Italian economics professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
He was heading to Queen’s University in Canada, to give a speech.
What was that strange writing that started all this hassle?
Differential equations. Algebra. Maths.
The man was working on maths.
Footnotes
NEW Butler Bodycam Shows Officers CONFRONT Trump’s Would be Assassin
What was Singapore like in 70’s?
What do ‘Chewing gums, long hair on men, and the Rolling Stone’ have in common in the 70s?
Never a time where life was such a bore in Singapore as it was in the ‘70s when countless of items were banned in the Republic of Singapore.
That was the time Singapore’s first generation after independent- it’s known as the pioneer generation who were the victim of Singapore’s progress ( Sorry folks! I don’t beat around the bush)
In the 70’s was the best time I witnessed what life in Singapore and it didn’t look like Singapore you know today at all.
To begin with.
A taxi driver who asked me where to? After I told him, and he said, “Sorry bro, I won’t go!” and sped off.
Another time, a hawker’s assistant told me, “ Know or not, bro? You can’t sit on this table if you don’t order from us.”
On one night, I was looking for block 8 at Whampoa drive, I couldn’t see the tiny zinc block number sign (with no light) – my friend said to me —“Go and complain to the PAP, lah” I didn’t know who that was.
When it rained, the entire Bukit Timah Road was flooded and a woman was reported to have drown in an open drain.
At the ‘Thieves Market- at Sungei Road’ I spotted what looked like a brand new ‘Seiko watch’ but 1/4 of the price- I asked was it real why so cheap? “ Bro. you know what is this place called or not? He grinned.
At my last trip to Singapore last year, I complimented to my buddy, a retiree in Singapore: “ Now, you got covered walkway to your block and don’t get wet- why didn’t you guys ask for it in those days”—I meant when he moved in during the 70’s — That’s what he answered “ Guy! We didn’t know what to complain and how to complain- that fellow throw you in jail then you know!”
In 1974, exactly 50 years ago when ABBA won Eurovision with ‘Waterloo’ you will never though that in this part of the world is just another day- No cheers, no jeers, and no qualms but every young man and woman was joyous in celebration only behind the closed door.
It reminds me even though it’s just a tiny nation but Singapore was known to the the world when Singapore government’s policy forbidding any male with long hair went into effect in the ‘70s— Even the Beatles freaked out and scared to death while hiding on the plane at Paya Lebar airport.
That was in my memory what Singapore was like in 70’s
What is the pettiest complaint you have heard from a home-owners association (HOA)?
Not my story, this came from a former US resident when the subject came up.
He and his then GF had a nice house, centre of the cul-de-sac, drive straight in, drive straight off.
Some of his best fines were:
A garbage can being left out too long, he was on a day off and he heard the truck come and go but was busy with some jobs at the time, about 20 minute later, he opened the door to find a fine ready attached to the door, it had been there 10 minutes. Someone expected the bin to be back behind the house, with 10 minutes of being emptied, on a weekday… 3/4 of the street were working and wouldn’t have it taken in until after 5.
Having ‘his’ car parked in his driveway instead of the garage for too long. It was his parents car, they were there for an hour dropping off some gifts for his birthday.
Music too loud, but it wasn’t him, it was the property behind him on the next street.
Lawn was in disrepair, this was after the HOA PRESIDENTS kid, drove home drunk and drove onto his lawn. This was backed up with video evidence.
There were dozens of fines over the course of the year, he finally decided enough was enough and took a few weeks holiday from work. Revenge was afoot.
He spent the next 2 weeks being the most petty homeowner on the block, he reported every, single, infraction. Backed up with a highlighted copy of the rules in every case and a photo.
He caught out the HOA President with the wrong colour paint, another board member with their bin out for 2 days, another with a large patch of grass missing, grass too long, branches too low, fences damaged, cars being left in disrepair, maintainence needing done. Every single one was a HOA Board member. He did pin a few other residents for some of the things he was caught for.
The HOA tried to sue him for harassment, he countersued with evidence that every single thing he had been targeted for, was being done worse by the HOA and other residents.
Ultimately he won, all his fines were dropped and a new board was soon voted in, the ‘old boys club’ was no more. About 6 months later he decidd to move to the UK, he’s been here 5 years and said if he ever moves back, no HOA.
Teen Killer Thinks He’s Going Home After Murdering His Mother
What are the qualities that make women envious of men?
Oh, there are a lot, seriously.
- No menstruation issues. No periods. You men really have no idea how lucky you are, when it comes to this.
- Not having to worry about pregnancy when it comes to sex.
- Thinking of going out? All they need is 5 minutes to get ready, and they’re out of the house.
- Be it any function, there’s always one black suit that just works every single time.
- Travelling? Few shirts, one jeans and bam! Packing done!
- Night outs? Late night parties? No questions to answer! All they need is their ‘mood’ to say yes!
- Can choose to wear clothes or not!
- The “Bro Code”. Enough said.
- Their friendships. Way more honest, upfront and amazing than women.
- They just don’t get tensed up about anything. Even if the world is ending next moment, just chill, everything’s cool.
- Suddenly nature called? No problem, the world is their bathroom!
- Their power to just forget stuff so easily. Sometimes, that’s all you need!
- No uterus, no labor pain, no baby coming out!
- The way they can sit idle and think nothing. Like really, nothing. You ask them, what are you thinking? ‘Nothing!’ How on earth do they do that?
- When a man truly loves you, you just know it. They give you their everything. Be it Dad, boyfriend, or husband, the way they love is beyond comparison!
Have you ever had a job where you did nothing for years and nobody found out?
A friend (not a friend-of-a-friend, somebody I know directly) became a manager in a company that provides support services to the airline industry. I cannot name the firm, they are still very much active and a quasi-government outfit. Justin was made head of a group of 28 and HR handed him an inventory of his reporting employees. He went through the list, arranging one-on-one meetings, just to touch base, get an idea of the mechanics of the place, that sort of thing.
After he had seen his 27th employee he started to look for Mr 28. Scanning the open-plan office he could not see anybody that he had not already spoken to. He walked up to his nearest minion and said “I am looking for, erm [reads paper] … Dave.”
“Oh, Dave hasn’t worked here for a long time.”
“How long?”
“Maybe 2 years’ or so.”
Justin called HR and told them the employee list was wrong.
“Can’t be,” explained HR “that list was pulled from the current payroll and Dave is on the payroll.”
The organisation was based in Switzerland, Dave had an apartment and lived locally; HR had his address. Justin guessed that the address might be out of date.
He went back into the office area, “does anybody have a contact number for Dave?” Somebody did, a UK mobile phone number and the suggestion that he lived somewhere in London. Well, maybe not exactly in London itself, possibly near to London or, at least, in that half of England where London is. Ok, I’ll be honest, nobody was really paying attention when Dave left, but he definitely mentioned getting a flight to London.
Justin called the number, it was answered quickly. “Hi Dave, this is Justin, your new manager at xxxxxxxx.”
“Oh, hiya’, I am just heading out the door to go to the dentists, can I call you back in about an hour or so?”
But, dear reader, Dave did not call back. Not even after several hours. Justin called later that afternoon and got several “invalid number” messages before realising that there was no point in trying again.
Turns out that Dave (an Australian) had resigned over 2 years’ previously but the HR process had not been followed correctly and they continued to pay him. Dave didn’t complain and nobody noticed. Dave’s bank account was routinely emptied (by ATM withdrawals, never by wire or trackable transfers) and it was closed immediately after Justin called him.
Nice one Dave.
The Car Market is a Joke …… Part 2
Can you describe the experience of being an idol in Korea? Why do you think there are not many foreign people becoming idols?
There are a total of 2 million K-pop trainees in Seoul, but only a handful can become idols.
If you want to become an idol, you must have a lot of resources to buy advertisements, front pages of news, and prime time on TV. You must get the help of Korean chaebols, and the favor of news media executives to have these resources.
But ordinary people do not have such resources. They can only approach the Korean chaebol and news media executives through sexual bribery and other methods to win the support of them.
Here is a list of Korean artists who committed suicide:
- On 22 February 2005, actress Lee Eun-ju, the star of hit films including Taegukgi and The Scarlet Letter, died by suicide at the age of 24.
- On 21 January 2007, performance artist U;Nee died by hanging at the age of 25.
- On 2 October 2008, “The Nation’s Actress” Choi Jin-sil died by suicide at the age of 39.
- On 7 March 2009, actress Jang Ja-yeon died by suicide at the age of 29. She left a letter alleging violence, abuse, and sexual exploitation by several people in the entertainment industry.
- On 19 November 2009, supermodel Daul Kim died by suicide in Paris at the age of 20.
- On 18 December 2017, Kim Jonghyun, a main vocalist of South Korean group Shinee, died by suicide at the age of 27. He was found unconscious in a hotel room by paramedics after sending a suicide note to his sister and was later pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. A suicide note was found highlighting his struggle with depression that he had spoken about over many years. In it were words such as “I am broken inside”, “I hate myself”, and references to a doctor who blamed his depression on his personality.
- On 14 October 2019, Sulli, an actress and former member of f(x), died by suicide at the age of 25. She was found dead in her home by her manager.
- On 24 November 2019, Goo Hara, an actress and former member of Kara, died by suicide at the age of 28. She had attempted to end her own life once before, on 26 May 2019, but was found in time and taken to hospital.
- On December 27 2023, Lee Sun-kyun, an actor who was best known for his international role in Parasite, died by suicide at the age of 48.
Among them, Jang Ja-yeon was particularly eye-catching. After she committed suicide, she left a suicide note and a list of people who sexually assaulted her.
In her suicide note, she revealed:
From 2005 to 2009, she was forced by her agency to provide sexual services to senior executives of large companies, news media, and men in the entertainment industry.
Even on her parents’ death anniversary, she was forced to provide services.
She was raped by men, forced to take stimulants and drugs, and the men even used various props, such as wine bottles and golf balls, to insert into her vagina.
She was still unmarried and was forced by her agency to go to the hospital for sterilization surgery in her 20s so that the chaebols could have sex with her without wearing condoms and ejaculate inside her.
She suffered from excessive torture and became incontinent. In severe cases, she could not even walk.
In her suicide note, she cried: “Once, I entered a hotel and found that I had to provide sexual services to 4 men at the same time. I was not even as good as a hotel prostitute.”
South Korean actress (1980–2009) Jang Ja-yeon ( Korean : 장자연 ; 25 January 1980 – 7 March 2009) was a South Korean actress. She was born in Jeongeup , North Jeolla Province, South Korea. She debuted in the entertainment industry when she appeared in a television commercial in 2006. She was known for being part of the KBS television drama series Boys Over Flowers as Sunny, one of the antagonists of the series, at the time of her death. She died by suicide on 7 March 2009 at the age of 29. At the time of her death, Jang had been suffering from depression , and it was revealed in 2019 that the initial investigation into her death in 2009 had been corrupt. [ 1 ] The 2009 investigation had concluded that her death was a suicide, but the investigation was reopened in 2018. [ 2 ] Her death caused a national scandal in 2009 when it was widely reported that she had been sexually and physically abused by a number of prominent entertainment executives during her career, including the CEO of Jang's former talent agency, The Contents Entertainment, Kim Sung-hoon. [ 3 ] After three witness testified against the CEO, Kim was found guilty of abuse by the Korean courts, specifically of forcing girls from his agency to come to his birthday party where he forced them to sexually entertain the executives. [ 4 ] 2006–2009: Acting debut with Boys Over Flowers [ edit ] Jang made her debut in 2006 in a television commercial. [ 5 ] Her big break came in Boys Over Flowers playing the role of Sunny, one of a trio of girls who antagonize the female lead played by Ku Hye-sun . At the time of her death, Jang was awaiting the release of her first two films, They Are Coming and Penthouse Elephant. Jang was known to have had difficulties with her management agency. [ 6 ] Since the death of her parents in a traffic accident in 1999, Jang had been living with her older sister and younger brother. [ 7 ] Prior to her own death, Jang had been suffering from clinical depression and had received medical treatment for her condition during the past year. [ 5 ] Death and later investigation [ edit ] Jang died by suicide. She was found hanging in her home in the Bundang district of Seongnam , Gyeonggi province , on 7 March 2009. During a phone call at 3:30 p.m. that afternoon, Jang had complained to her sister about the "overwhelming stress" she was under, saying that she "wanted to die". [ 5 ] Having later been unable to reach her on the phone, Jang's sister returned to their shared home at 7:42 p.m. to find her body hanging from the stairway banister. [ 8 ] A police investigation concluded that her death was a suicide, [ 8 ] and found no evidence of foul play. [ 7 ] Jang is believed to have killed herself at around 4:30 pm. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] According to widespread South Korean entertainment news reports, it was believed that Jang claimed that her agent Kim Sung-hoon had regularly beaten her and forced her to sleep with a string of VIPs, including directors, media executives and CEOs. Ki
This is a common experience for Korean idols. Do you think foreigners will accept this kind of experience?
If a foreigner is killed in South Korea, the embassy of his or her country of origin will intervene, which can easily escalate into a serious diplomatic issue.
Executives of major Korean companies, news media executives, and men in the entertainment industry dare not do this.
On the other hand, Without these, foreigners would naturally not get many resources.
There are so many K-pop trainees in HYBE, SM, YG, and JYP, why did they have to choose you as the top star? Why?
Advertisements, front-page news, prime-time television time, etc. all cost money to buy.
No such thing as a free lunch, everything needs to be exchanged.
College Girl Goes Missing Until Cops Discover This CCTV Footage
Arizona Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- About 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can chopped green chiles*
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- Grated Cheddar cheese, about 1 pound, divided
- 10 to 12 corn tortillas, torn into bite-size pieces
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Boil chicken and then shred it. This is easily done using an electric mixer! Set aside.
- In large pan, add both soups (do not add water or milk), green chiles and chopped onions. Add chicken and heat to a slow simmer.
- In a separate pan, heat about 1/4 to 1/2 inch oil. Add torn corn tortillas and soft fry them. You don’t want them crunchy. Drain excess oil from tortillas on a paper towel.
- Add soft fried corn tortillas to the chicken mixture. You will need to play with the amount of tortillas you add until it looks like you have enough tortillas added without making it too dry. Turn off heat. Add about 1/2 of the grated cheese. You may also add some sour cream to this if you wish.
- Spread mixture in a greased baking dish. I normally use a 13 x 9-inch pan for this. Top with more grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.
- To finish this off you can top with salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole.
Notes
* I buy Hatch green chiles from New Mexico in season, roast them and freeze them in freezer bags. They’re the best! We are fortunate that we can buy them freshly-roasted right in front of our local market also.
Have you ever had to remind a guest that they are a guest in your house? If so, how did the guest respond?
My wife and I have four daughters. One shares our DNA and three do not. They came to us in their early teens from severely abusive homes.
Our second daughter, ‘Beth’ had only been us for about three months and was still learning to trust us.
My wife’s mother, Jane, was visiting. At some point, Beth came from her room with her dirty clothes and dumped them on the floor of the laundry room, then started back to her room to bring down her bedding. From the kitchen Jane said something to the tune of, “I hope you’re not going to leave those there!” Beth responded, “It’s none of your business now, is it?”
Before my wife, who was also in the kitchen, could intercede, Jane said, “You better learn some manners if you’re going to be a member of this family, young lady.”
Before Beth could respond, my wife put her arm around her, looked at her mother, and said something akin to, “Mom, Beth doesn’t have to learn one fucking thing to be a member of this family, she already is. There is nothing she can do to change that. Now apologize to my daughter.” I think Beth was caught off guard that she wasn’t the one in trouble and was being stood up for.
To her credit, Jane did apologize. Beth was, at best, lukewarm in accepting it. As far as my wife was concerned, she didn’t need to accept it at all.
I will say it wasn’t Jane’s intent to be nasty. In her mind she was just reinforcing one of the assumed rules of the house. For her it was the kind of thing grandmothers do.
Later that afternoon my wife took her out on the patio for some mother/daughter time. She explained our home ran differently than the home in which she grew up, and no, this wasn’t a criticism of how she was raised. They agreed that it would be best if Jane refrained from parenting our daughters. Jane wasn’t particularly upset and they moved on to other things.
Surprisingly, at least to us, Beth was cordial to Jane at dinner. This was a victory as in those days Beth often held grudges.
DECEASED 1920’s MAN DESCRIBES THE AFTERLIFE
Interesting.
Shorpy
GHOST DESCRIBES THE AFTERLIFE | A British WW2 Sailor’s Experience
I had a tomcat called 'pyewacket ' who was a beautifull natured boy, silly funny and got on well with our other 2 cats and all the other cats in the neighborhood, but 6 years ago someone poisoned him, we had to have him put to sleep, this was especially hard because he was only 5 , one sunny summers day I was sitting on the couch thinking about him and how we missed him so, then I thought to myself I wonder if animals pass over to the other side, just then I spied a tiny white feather coming down from the ceiling and settling on my lap, make of that what you will but I'm not a big fan of coincidences , I still have the white feather.
How do Tibetans feel about being part of China? Do they want independence?
Hello, I am Tibetan. Born in the outskirts of Darjeeling, India and now immigrate to USA.
Should Tibet be apart of China ? Yes. It has been since the old times and we have absorbed most Chinese culture (chop sticks, food, instrument, clothing, language, etc)
Do I seek independence ? Little bit but what will the outcome be if Tibet was independent ? We would probably be invaded by India just like how Sikkim and North East India turned into be. Let me tell I would hate to be apart of India since my last trip to Sikkim. Sikkimese are now second class citizens in their ancestral homeland since Indians breed like rabbits, different race and thinking. We also have racial tensions due to our racist tribalism nature. Also we are mongoloid race and Indians are Dravidians or Aryans so we have nothing in common other than religion or writing. Since the Chinese are Mongoloid race I would rather be apart of them. Seeing Tibet now with devolpment and infrastructure. Many exile unbrainwashed Tibetans would agree with me and go back. The brainwashed tibetans would likely stay in india suffering from racism and living in slums or get their daily paycheck from the corrupt Tibetan government in exile.
Let me tell you I used to be a brainwashed Tibetan listening to these foreign Caucasians and Indians telling me lies about what the Chinese did to Tibet and now I know the truth and I am very angry for them lying to me. Seek the truth.
Today’s MM art
It’s a mixed bag. Lots of nudes, but also many distortions. I’m disappointed.
Many men with woman’s faces, and distortions of various types.
Man’s body, woman’s face.
Some are fine, but are missing “something”.
This turned out… interesting.
Same with this one…
I do love the expression on the face of Bacchus.
Nice, but twins?
Messed up female genitalia…
Might be more interesting with some nice clothes…
Now here’s sort of what I am striving for.
And this. But there’s a lot that needs to be corrected.
Wow. A lot going on here.
A winner… almost.
So so.
The spitting of the wine will need to be photoshopped out.
Fine.
This is one of the best of the bunch.
And I do like this one…
When did you realize your parents were cool?
When my father got Hugh Hefner to lend him the bunny jet to evacuate Vietnamese orphans during the Fall of Saigon.
It was part of “Operation Babylift,” an effort to bring about 2,000 displaced children, most of them orphans, to the US amidst the chaos of the American pullout from Vietnam.
In the 60s, my parents started a nonprofit to support Vietnamese children who were orphaned or affected by the war. My mother travelled there several times during the war and came to know the children, staff, and volunteers of some of the orphanages around the country.
Among the volunteers were US servicemen, one of whom picked out my sister for adoption by my family. I also gained an adopted brother in a similar manner.
Through the nonprofit they started, my mother made hundreds of Vietnamese adoption placements, including several to celebrities. During the late 60s and early 70s they built quite an extensive network around their nonprofit activities.
So when President Ford announced the creation of a special fund to expedite the evacuation and adoption of Vietnamese orphans during the Fall of Saigon, my father called Yul Bryner and got him to prevail on Hef to lend them the bunny jet for Operation Babylift.
The operation itself was controversial. There were later claims that some of the children were not actually orphans. My mother had been to the orphanages where many of these children came from. She knew the staff and volunteers who worked there. A mixed race kid like my adopted brother Danny had no future in Vietnam. That is certain.
It was a chaotic time. There was tragedy, too.
The first flight out on Operation Babylift, a C-5 cargo plane, crashed shortly after take-off, killing 78 children and 50 adults of the 300 aboard. My parents knew several of them.
I was a teenager when it happened and got to know some of the survivors, who would come to stay with us and live out the trauma of their ordeal in the aftermath. People we knew gave their lives to bring those children here.
Fifteen years later, my father was on one of the first flights from the US to deliver relief supplies to Lech Walesa and the Solidarity strikers in Gdansk, Poland in 1980. He returned with a new suit he bought in Poland for about $15. He called it his “socialist suit” and he was very proud of it.
Clearest Footage of THEM Ever Released
Interesting.
But the “scary music” is just plain juvenile.
‘Mean’ Cat That No One Wanted Falls In Love With New Dad
Have you ever told a parent something their kid had done, and they stopped talking to you afterwards?
Yes, and the mom—my friend—was there. She had two daughters, three years and five-years old. We were all sitting around at my house and she asked me if I had some paper and crayons, so they could draw some pictures.
Of course I said yes, and set the girls up. A while later the oldest came running up with the youngest right behind her. They were both giggling. The oldest handed me the worst drawing I had ever seen. It was a picture of a—what looked like a girl, with short hair that stuck straight up, weird, crooked, pointy, tooth-like, projections, and tons of black dots all over the face. I thought it was a monster. So I said, “wow, nice monster.” Nope. The little girl said—all proud of herself—to me, “this isn’t a monster. It’s a picture of YOU. You’re UGLY.”
I was mortified. I had struggled my entire teenage years with horrible acne that was a result of kidney problems. Although, at this point I only had the residual scarring. I had always been very self-conscious, but it was hardly noticeable at the time this happened. Regardless, I felt like I had just been kicked in the stomach.
Their mother—my friend—looked at me, shrugged her shoulders, and said, “kids are so honest, they just draw what they see”.
Maybe I am just being stupid, but this really hurt my feelings. I kept being nice, but I’m sure she could see the hurt on my face—however, she never acted like it. The visit was over anyway, and she and her spawn left a few minutes later.
I talked to her a few more times. What really ended up being the last straw was when she complained about her oldest daughter’s second grade teacher teaching about dinosaurs. She said that the teacher should NOT be teaching about dinosaurs. “Dinosaurs” she said, “DID NOT EXIST!!!! Dinosaur bones were put there by Satan, trying to TRICK us!!!!!”.
What was your “Wow, monsters hide in plain sight!” moment?
About a year ago, my wife got a phone call STUPIDLY early in the morning. She missed getting the phone in time, but saw what friend it was from, and got in touch with her immediately.
Our friend was incredibly distraught, saying she’d learned she’d married an absolute monster.
My wife and I had been couples-friends with this couple for over fifteen years.
The husband was arrested for crimes against children. Yes, THOSE kinds of crimes against children.
It messes me up to know. I know I just said “we’d been friends for over fifteen years”, but we haven’t lived near each other for a long time. Most of our interactions were incredibly limited to Facebook interactions and a visit to one another’s area once every 4 – 5 years. But still.
It messes us up because you’re SO SURE that you’d know. You think you’re a good judge of character.
My wife is still flabbergasted, to think of it. We agreed that it was so out of nowhere. She told me “Of literally everyone we’ve ever met, if I were being asked to rate how sketchy I thought they were, he wouldn’t have even made the top ten!…”
It’s been so long, and it still messes me up to think about. Why? It’s not like there’s any reason I should have ‘clued in’ that something was going on. There were several people who hung out with him regularly and none of them knew. His brother and parents didn’t know. Hell, HIS OWN WIFE didn’t know—and she’s not a stupid person.
We still beat ourselves up mentally and emotionally, scouring for what potential clues there may have been that we overlooked. But be reasonable: that many people never knew.
But it messes you up. You think that you’d know.
Hassayampa Casserole
This casserole is an original and was named after the Hassayampa River that flows in Wickenburg, Arizona.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 1 (8 ounce) can enchilada sauce
- 1 pound fresh tomatoes, diced
- 10 ounces frozen corn, thawed
- 1 cup sliced black olives
- 3 large green chiles, chopped
- 1 pound shrimp or imitation crabmeat
- 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 12 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Sauté onion in oil and add cinnamon, chili powder and cumin.
- Stir in enchilada sauce and diced tomatoes. Set aside 1 cup sauce.
- Add to remaining sauce the corn, olives, green chiles, shrimp or crabmeat and 1 cup cheese.
- In a 3 quart shallow casserole dish, cover bottom with some of the tortillas.
- Spread 1/3 of shrimp/crabmeat mixture over tortillas; repeat with 2 more layers.
- Top with remaining tortillas, sauce and cheese.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes.
Through a Great Distance
Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways.… view prompt
Matthew Klingforth
Through a Great Distance
“Andrew, God, I can actually hear your sulking,” Becky said across the hull to the large man sitting with his head hanging and his back facing her. “It’s like I have the endangered, sniveling vagina bug crawling in my ear, right now.”
“I am not sulking!” Andrew informed her angrily as he lifted his head and stared ferociously at the corner. “As a matter of fact, I was just now having a soliloquyial discussion on the selfish disregard of ingratitude and how Princesses only crap on other people’s property!” He screamed at her from his walled in position and Becky rolled her eyes in return.
“Look, man, the alfredo sauce was too salty, I don’t know what to tell yah,” she replied with a guiltless shrug. “Maybe, next time, I don’t know, don’t add the entire salt lick to the pot.”
“That is a reward winning recipe!” Andrew bellowed and turned his purpling face towards her. “And I’ll let you know that having all of the culinary delicacy of a frozen lake, does not excuse, nor forgive, straight rudeness.”
“Whatever,” Becky grumbled and returned her attention to the blinking lights of the ship’s internal computer.
“Fine,” Andrew agreed to her resolution and sent out a cold silence across the room.
“I don’t think that, “soliloquyial,” is even really a word.” Becky poked and to her delight, the bear stood-up and stomped out into the hallway.
“There are rules of engagement!” Andrew roared and jabbed his pudgy finger into the chest of no one as he clomped down the hallway. “Once an argument is clearly at the point of appropriate silence,” he said while gesturing wildly with his hands. “I mean, that’s it, you just shut-up. But no, not her, she always has to get that last little…” He paused, too angry to finish the sentence and, instead, bit down hard onto his knuckle. “I want my GD dog back!” he finally screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Becky! Becky!” Andrew yelled desperately as the terrified animal clawed free and leapt from his grasping arms. “No, no, bad dog!” he scolded the Pomeranian, but another crack of lightning from the newest freak storm put her tail between her legs and sent her scampering into the throngs of the many on-lookers and partiers across the barricade.
“Japan…swallowed…unprecedented tsunamis,” Andrew heard the radio from the nearest booze and food tent scream in between its static and he helplessly turned and looked at his escape vessel.
“Becky?” He whimpered with his whole body moving in feeble motions and the tears choking out his breathing. For the briefest of moments, he considered leaving without his precious Becky, but then he remembered all of the hard work and strings that he had to pull to gain passage to the new world and procure his own personal carriage. Failure was not an option.
“You sir!” Andrew pointed and yelled with newly found determination as he marched across his lot towards the security at the gate. “I will have a moment with you,” he said and pushed his impressive mass in between a small helmeted guard and the rest of the world. “Do you know who I am?” Andrew more demanded than asked.
“Yes sir, mister Chizka, sir,” the guard said with what he thought was machismo. “I am assigned to your post, sir, I’m, I’m your takeoff guy” he added lamely and immediately regretted it.
“Good,” Andrew replied with zero satisfaction as he assumed his own notoriety. “Then you know that I am never, EVER, without my Becky!” he blustered as the guard tried to catalogue every piece of information that he had on the man and a wife Becky seemed to ring a bell.
“Yes sir, mister Chizka, that is well known,” he decided to answer in the positive.
“Well?” Andrew asked as he looked around himself incredulously. “Do you see my Becky with me?”
“Oh, oh, no sir,” the former shoe salesman caught the drift and put his two weeks of military training into action. “Where was the last place you seen her, sir?”
“She ran off into that damnable ruffian tent,” Andrew answered with distaste. “She is very likely right at the entrance, trust me, she won’t wander far from a constant source of sausage.”
As the guard struggled with a reply, he was spared by the sudden upheaval of the earth’s crust, causing all to stumble and cheers to erupt from the tent dwellers.
“Listen,” Andrew said in a sudden rush, trying to quickly compensate for the earthquakes two-day early arrival. “What’s your name son?” he asked the guard.
“Thomas Jensen,” Thomas Jensen answered astutely.
“And now, Thomas,” Andrew said in his straight business voice. “I can assume that you’re not one of these tent cretins, right? That you plan on leaving this degenerate planet and make a fresh start on the new world? Yes?”
“Yes sir, mister Chizka, our craft leaves tonight.”
“Good Thomas, I’m relieved to hear that,” Andrew said while putting his meat hooks onto the guard’s slender shoulders and drawing paternal serenity onto his face. “Thomas, I need someone to march into that Hell pit and get me my Becky,” he said while pointing at the tent. “And whoever that person is, well, let’s just say that they will be very well rewarded in the new world,” he stated and then paused for dramatic affect. “Do you think that you could be that person, mister Jensen?”
“Yes sir! Absolutely sir!” Ole’ Thomas was pretty sure of himself.
“Excellent!” Andrew applauded. “Bring her to my sleeping quarters, get us off this God forsaken planet and I assure you that the goose will be splendid.”
Andrew stared out the bedroom window as the world deteriorated around him. “Where are you?” he whispered harshly and took his third pill in less than ten minutes. “I do not feel calm!” he screamed at the window and shook the pill bottle angrily. “Stupid—useless…,” he mumbled softly as his chin dropped down into his chest and time slowed down around him.
“Who the Hell is this?” the drunken slur of a tiny, blonde woman and the sound of a locking door caused Andrew’s eyes to flutter open.
“Becky,” he pleaded unconsciously as the engines started to rumble and the planet Earth began its long series of chain explosions.
“I want my GD dog back!” Becky heard Andrew yell from across the ship and she immediately felt a twinge of regret for that last jab.
“Ah, the big lug,” she said as she drew her legs up onto the chair to hug her knees, thinking about their first conversation.
The world, she believed, was gone. The navigational system, fried on take-off. We could be the last two human beings alive in the Universe and dude couldn’t stop blubbering about his stupid dog.
“Cute little shit,” she said with a sigh and grabbed her rubber ball to squeeze.
The mix-up, she supposed, was favorable to her. She should be dead and at one point and time, it was all that she had expected, wanted, maybe. She was in a weird place at the time. Still though and in retrospect, she made out pretty good. The vessel was equipped to accommodate and feed eight people for no less than ten years. There were like a zillion different movies and video games to play and the regurgitating ventilation system provided a lifetime of low-quality, but breathable air.
The dog, she felt, would have been very happy here.
Words can’t really describe the awkwardness of getting to know the last remaining member of your species. The last real face that you would see in your entire lifetime. Uncomfortable, she guessed. Discomfited? But, after a long mourning and bonding period, it took them all of fifteen seconds to realize that they were trapped in space with a complete and utter moron. He was a proclaimed dog person and she held firm that Becky was really more of a cat. He was a staunch Republican and she didn’t really care what you called a crook. How was it possible that she got stuck with the one person who could witness the explosion of their planet and still continue to deny global warming?
It was the absolute worst possible case scenario for the both of them.
Becky smiled and gave the ball two quick compressions.
“No, no, you’re doing that all wrong,” Andrew said as he watched her gaming in the family center and grabbed the controller out of her hands.
“Oh, really?” she asked, a little shocked at his playfulness, as they had been on a, as needed, communication schedule for the previous three months. “You know how to play Super Mario Brothers?”
“Oh yeah, my brothers and I ate up the classics,” Andrew answered as he deftly moved the courageous plumber across the screen. “I saw Zelda in the game catalogue,” he said while pausing and smiling over at her. “Have you ever played it?” he asked with a school boy innocence that would eventually charm his way into both her pants and their first marriage.
Andrew had considered all four of their marriages as a silly waste of time, but, Becky, although far removed from her deflowering, was a traditionalist. Not so much the religious stuff, but a commitment was needed if you wanted the long-term, personal attention sex. She was, after all, a lady.
Initially they had the children conversation, you know, the old, save the homo sapien rally, but ultimately decided against it. Their little family, alone in the middle of outer space, trying to maintain the human race was, well, just gross, once you ran the numbers and, besides, neither one of the them were exactly, kid people, anyhow. So, they kept rugrats out of their tumultuous and mostly predictable cycle. Right now, as far as Becky saw it, they were within four months to their next marriage. This was clearly a make-up fight. Right now, he’s standing in the master bedroom, staring out the window, waiting for me to come and apologize.
“And apologize I will,” she thought happily as she stood-up and bounced the ball off of the floor and back into her hand. The truth was that over the last six years, she had really grown to love the big ape and she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he loved her. Only love can make a person as crazy as she made him.
Besides, she had put a lot of effort into making him a suitable partner, the, sometimes, aggressive tips and hints on how to be a better lover, alone, claimed her ownership. She wasn’t about to give up her man and her apologizing for hurting his delicate nature had also become part of their cycle.
“Hey Andrew,” she yelled as she bounced her ball down the hall towards the bedroom. “About the alfredo sauce, you know that I was just being a bitch, right?” She asked, taking the low road and hoping for a quick make-up.
“Becky, get in here,” Andrew yelled back at her in a dazed and far away voice and Becky quickened her pace.
“Holy…” she stood frozen in the entryway, staring through the window at the last thing that she ever thought that she would see again. “Andrew, it’s a planet!” she exclaimed and Andrew turned in his standing position to nod absently.
“You said that the odds were astronomically against this,” she said as Andrew, the human fun sponge, had calculated its chances to being exactly impossible.
“They, they are,” he stammered and returned his gaze to the looming planet.
“Well, is it, you know, liveable?” Becky asked with excitement growing in her voice.
“Yes, perfectly, its atmosphere doesn’t appear to be much different than earths,” he answered.
“It’s unbelievable,” Becky marveled as she walked to stand next to Mark. “What about other creatures? Is there anything alive down there?”
“Affirmative, be it food, friend or foe, the imager shows plenty of animal activity at the surface.”
Awestruck in silence and as they slowly absorbed the colossal potential floating before them, Andrew and Becky’s fingers gingerly touched together and gently entwined.
“Take us home, Captain Chizka,” she said while looking up at her future fifth husband and Andrew set the thrusters to manual.
What are the risks of allowing Chinese EV imports into the US?
Isn’t it obvious?
The risks are getting rid of the incompetent and the idiots. The future of this country must be premised on having people who can get things done. Protectioinism by tariff shields these incompetent and idiots and hurts severely the consumers. . . and lead only to the deterioration of the economy.
EV is no stranger to the U.S. Our Detriot car makers have been toying with this for decades and in just the last 15 years, we have had hundreds of EV startups – one of which is Tesla leading the way. These startups – with names like Faradays, Lordstown, Fisker, Lucid and Rivian enjoyed and been showered with billions. Yet, the best they have to offer are $45,000 EVs that are more than twice as expensive and not even with quality and features of China’s basic EVs at less than $20,000.
And their excuse is that its unfair trade practice because China provides subsidies?
We have Tesla that set the standard of competition in the Chinese auto market . . . .that should also be allowed to prevail in the U.S. This is how the Chinese EVs evolved and this should be how our U.S. EVs must evolve. European OEMs – specially VW – are doing joint ventures to catch up in the Chinese market and GM and Ford should do the same . . . .or let them perish because they can’t last long anyway with tariff protection.
