Most Americans take it for granted that the spare tire in their trunk is a micro mini tire.
It wasn’t always that way. Back in the day, the spare tire was an actual real tire.
Now, the mini tire revolution in the USA happened during the 1980’s.American car companies discovered that they save room, and more importantly save costs by putting a “limited use” emergency tire in the trunk instead of a real tire.
Meanwhile, Chinese cars have real tires in the trunk.
Oh, for sure… SOME have the mini tires. But most of the cars made in China re REAL cars with REAL full features and the companies do not SKIMP on the things so as to MAKE A QUICK BUCK like they do in the United States.
Throwing it out there you all.
Bet you didn’t know that.
Today…
Why can or can’t Canada win a trade war with the United States?
This is about to get a little unfiltered. I live in Michigan. I love Canada. And I love Canadians. But…
YOU GUYS NEED TO WAKE THE FUCK UP.
This is not a trade war. This is an actual attack on your economy and it is intended to weaken your resistance against anexxation. HE WANTS TO TAKE CANADA. Without a shot fired if possible. This isn’t about money, or fentanyl, or immigrants.
This is about power.
Trump thinks of himself as some kind of savior of American Greatness. He sees China and Russia making huge gains. Trump wants to be like Xi and Putin. He respects and idolizes that kind of power. Trump wants to be the hero that rescues America from getting left in the dust.
A few dead or starving Canadians (or Americans) is totally worth it to Trump.
So, Canada, please please please stop fucking around and take it seriously. Stop with the jokes. Stop with the happy thoughts that you’re going to come out on top of a ‘trade war’. If you don’t get fired up, CAD will become USD and you’re all going to get social security numbers and brand new American citizenship with tax obligations. Maybe you will be taxed like the British colonies in America and used as a cash machine.
Keep up the boycott. Stay angry. Fight back. Do not forget. Cut off the power. Close the pipelines. Do everything you can think to give the finger right back to Trump. Wave that maple leaf.
And please, please, please don’t disappear, Canada.
Elbows up!
Love, Michigan
How did your marriage end?
A nappy full of poop and a distressed baby was the last straw.
I had just finished a day of being at home with the baby. I hardly slept the night before. I hardly slept any nights for the prior 18 months since the traumatic birth. The baby had some health issues.
My husband didn’t help much with the baby. He was ‘overwhelmed’ by the responsibilities. So not many nights, nappy changes, feeds, bathing etc
He was a good husband/partner before our child came along, so the 180 that happened after the baby was born was quite shocking. Now he basically ignored both of us when he came home from work.
He hardly did anything to help me, the baby or around the house. I was very isolated being a new mother.
One particularly stressful day, I badly needed a nap. I felt faint and nauseous from lack of food and sleep, so when he came home early, I said I’d go for a nap for a couple hours. There was some dishes in the sink that I didn’t get to and I’d really appreciate if he could do them and keep an eye on our child, who was napping.
I woke up 2 hours later to my child wailing his lungs out. Baby had a nappy full of poop and pee. He was also crying and hungry.
Husband had his headphones on playing a handheld computer game and willfully ignoring his child who was next to him.
The sink of dishes also lay untouched. The weaponised incompetence was just too much.
I was a single mother in a marriage. I left a week later with him ignoring me for the week leading up to it.
One of the best decisions for me and my child was made that day.
My child sees his ‘father’ occasionally and they get on fine. He didn’t have any more children. He realised the responsibility was something he couldnt handle. A good decision!
Edit/Update
We were married 4 years. Together 6. We BOTH wanted children and agreed I would stay home to raise the baby and had discussed what was fair and reasonable to carry out task wise. He fulfilled none of his promises. I was wary about being left alone to do everything and he was aware of this.
The women who know, KNOW!(And some men, in fairness)
*The men are ‘menning’ hard on this one. And they’re the ones who will say ‘my wife walked away for no reason’ with their arms outstretched and looking confused. When women marry, we want a FULL partnership, not another grown child to take care of. A homemaker/Wife isn’t your slave! Working outside of the home doesn’t excuse your responsibilities inside the home.
Baked Beans Supreme
Simply delicious! Baked Beans Supreme can double as either a side dish or a main dish.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 1/2 pound ground beef (I use a little more)
- 1 large can pork and beans
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar, depending on taste
- 1 small onion, chopped
Instructions
- Cut bacon slices into 1 1/2 inch pieces, then cook. Drain grease.
- In the same skillet used to cook the bacon, brown ground beef, then drain well.
- Add bacon and ground beef to beans.
- Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour or until brown.
What would happen if America raised tariffs to 100% for all imports and closed its borders to foreign goods?
Obviously if you closed your borders to all foreign goods, you could not import anything and could not raise and pay any tariffs whatsoever. You obviously haven’t got the slightest idea about tariffs. Tariffs ARE NOT imposed on countries, you moron.
Only on your country’s imports.
Trump’s War FAILS: Yemen’s Missile Strikes DESTROY US Navy, Israel EXPOSED w/ Ben Norton
Breaking the Rules
Written in response to: “Write a story about someone who must fit their entire life in a single suitcase.“
Tempest Phoenix Smith
Her fingers touched the old leather briefcase on the seat next to her which held everything she owned apart from the clothes she wore and the hidden money belt cinched tight around her waist with the reassuring weight of appropriately dated Krugerrand coins and a selection of well-researched documents with which she would establish her new identity.
Not here, of course. After today, she would never return to North Wales. But she felt sure she could resist the temptation since the possible results of a time error caused by accidentally meeting herself could be catastrophic.
Elsewhere, she would be Meredith, still, but with a different middle name and surname. Perhaps this was a mistake. However, her new birthdate was totally different along with all the other details necessary to identify herself. And, besides, integrated computational systems that might flag up any unusual coincidences in the national database had not yet been invented.
Orienting her expectations to an earlier era when people relied on typewriters and telephones, radios and televisions, Meri wasn’t sure if a computer was yet a concept in most people’s heads unless they watched Star Trek or read science fiction. They existed, of course, but had not yet followed the telephone and television into people’s homes as an everyday object much less held in the palm of a hand. She found it refreshing not to own a mobile phone any more and looked forward to consulting libraries and bookshops rather than relying on search engines.
When the carriage trundled to a halt at Llandudno Junction, she watched the man across the aisle gather his cards and stow them in his haversack before he left the train. She couldn’t help breathing a little easier in his absence.
Nobody else boarded the train, so after checking that the couple chatting, the man with his newspaper and the woman with her novel were all ignoring her, Meri lifted the briefcase to the tabletop and opened it.
One last chance to check that all the levers and dials and switches were set to neutral. Her fingers roved from one spot to the next as she checked, knowing that if she employed her eyes alone, she might glance over something, assuming rather than actually looking carefully.
Yes. Everything was exactly as it should be.
Meri eased the Instruction Manual out of the roomy pocket above the console, smiling at the familiar typescript, happy that she had decided to pass along the original copy. Though she could have obtained a typewriter and replicated a pristine version of the manual, the effort would have taxed her patience since she was used to writing with instantaneous editing on screens not typing one letter at a time on A4 paper.
She did look forward to obtaining and using a typewriter, though, and all the other gadgets of this era once she settled, but that would be without pressure or stress since perfection would not be required.
As the train began to move away from the station, she closed the briefcase, pressing the latches until they clicked and then spinning the numbered dial randomly to lock it.
Arriving finally at Bangor, Meri disembarked and walked along the platform and up the steps to cross the bridge over the tracks. She ignored the hopeful taxi driver and headed left on leaving the station, walking along the upward sloping pavement toward Upper Bangor.
National Westminster Bank, still open for business, and the assortment of shops she walked by confirmed that she had, indeed, traversed time correctly. Always good to be one hundred percent certain, especially for this most important journey.
Meri balanced the briefcase on her left hip, hugging it close as she walked along College Road because a swarm of university students hastened toward her. Freshers’ week meant pranks were more likely, though perhaps less so in the more civilised past than in the unruly future.
At any rate, she didn’t want to have to pay a ransom or risk the delicate mechanism being disrupted if the briefcase were hurled from one prankster to another. Luckily, they were all absorbed in each other, so she wasn’t even slightly jostled by the throng.
Walking onward, she felt as if she was being pushed by the remorseless tide of time. What was about to happen had definitely happened, so she was only here to recreate this episode not to alter anything.
When Bangor pier came into view, the grey blue ocean beyond with the outlined landmass of Great Orme in the distance, Meri felt the urge to run but kept her pace measured, pausing to make sure her red silk scarf was secured and would not become the sea wind’s plaything.
As she walked on to the wooden planks of the pier, she could almost hear her father’s voice telling her the story that he had repeated so often. Originally, just one of his many stories, only transforming when she was an adult herself into the true to life version.
When Meri found him at the far end of the pier, leaning on the railing, puffing on his pipe as he gazed out to sea, her heart jumped up into her throat.
She had somehow not prepared herself for how young her father would be. A quick calculation told her that, chronologically at least, he was the same age as her.
Raven black hair, not the familiar white thatch. He stood taller, also, not weighed down by the years he would later carry. He tapped his pipe on the railing then cradled the bowl in his palm, reminding her how, even after he stopped smoking, the pipe often occupied his restless hands. When she saw his handsome profile, she could see why her mother had fallen in love.
But Meri must forget who he was now, forget who she was to him, even forget who she was entirely. She needed to be the woman with the red silk scarf and the leather briefcase, nothing more.
“What a lovely view,” she said in slightly accented English as she approached, though they would normally speak Welsh to one another.
He glanced toward her, those dark eyes evaluating. She could almost read the questions in his mind. Student? Staff member? Visitor? Local? “A lovely view indeed,” he echoed, turning back toward Great Orme.
“They say it is a sleeping dragon,” Meri said hesitantly, as if trying out newly discovered local lore.
“A pair of them,” he agreed, “as there’s Little Orme hidden beyond.”
A gust of wind tugging her red silk scarf reminded her to ask, “There is a tea room?”
He gave her a smile. “You’ve walked right past. I’ll show you.”
Always helpful, of course, that was a core part of his personality. And the devastation of failing to help someone he loved making the impulse all the more prominent at this juncture in his life.
“Gracias,” she replied, as if the Spanish bubbled up naturally, then, “thank you.”
Tucking the empty pipe in his jacket pocket, her father led the way back around the building at the end of the pier to the entrance to the tea room.
“Good to be in out of the wind,” Meri said as she smoothed her red silk scarf before ordering, “Tea for two, please.”
No pretence needed to look awkward as she made the payment with coins when she was used to flashing her mobile.
Once they were seated at one of the small tables, he asked, “Visiting?”
Meri nodded and smiled, gave her prepared speech about travelling from Barcelona, then careful to turn the conversation back to him, “And you live here?”
“I am a teacher,” he said simply.
“Professor?” she questioned with a look of admiration.
He shrugged and nodded.
“Intelligent then,” she remarked as the waitress deposited a tray with the makings of tea.
While they sorted out cups and saucers and how much milk and sugar they each required, Meri studied his face, thought she could read the burden of grief that haunted him after the tragedy.
She let him redirect the conversation while they drank tea into recommendations of what she should do while visiting North Wales, answering politely and expressing an interest.
But when the teapot was empty, Meri returned to her earlier remark. “You must be intelligent to be a professor.”
Again, her father shrugged. “Perhaps only clever and obstinate.”
She recognised the dodge and gave him a smile before saying, “Perhaps you could solve this puzzle.” Lifting the briefcase to the tabletop, she spun the dial to treble seven and unlatched the two clasps before swivelling it around so that he could see the contents when she opened the lid.
His eyes widened as he gazed into the briefcase but he didn’t reach to touch anything inside.
“There are instructions,” Meri informed him, “but they are only in English.”
Without looking up, he suggested, “You could get them translated.”
“But then the secret would be out,” she explained.
He stared at her, obviously at some loss about what was going on.
“Siete, siete, siete,” she said, then translated, “seven, seven, seven. That is the code to unlock the briefcase.”
Frowning now, he opened his mouth but closed it again when he failed to find any words.
Meri smiled. “On my travels, Professor, I have been looking for someone intelligent and brave who might enjoy this gift. Intuition tells me you are both.”
“What is it?” he asked.
She looked around as if making sure nobody else could hear, then told him, “A time machine.”
He studied the interior of the briefcase again, a glimmer of hope perhaps already dawning.
“Seven, seven, seven,” Meri repeated while showing him five fingers on her right hand and two on her left so that he would also have the visual memory. Rising from the table, she remembered watching the magic flickering of his fingers when he showed her how to do sums in her childhood.
Though tempted to sign some words to him now to express things that she could not tell him, she resisted. It would only confuse him and delay her departure. When she learned sign language, the first words she signed to him would be to thank him for teaching her numbers which led to her interest.
“Gracias,” her father managed to say before she waved, turned and walked away.
As Meri made her way back down the pier to Bangor, she glanced at her antique watch and decided to go straight back to the station and board the first train heading east out of Wales.
No need to linger now that she had delivered the gift.
Besides, she knew from the story that her father told what would happen next.
He would study the instructions as thoroughly as if he was going to have to take an exam. He would rebel against the stipulation that major life events could not be altered, but then grudgingly see the sense and accept it.
He would change his mind over and over until finally, on what should have been his first wife’s next birthday, he would figure out the best timing and travel back and visit her for a few hours, tell her everything that he never got to say before she died.
Then, his guilt at not being there to rescue her diminished somewhat, her father would finally let the ice around his heart begin to thaw, eventually allowing the woman who would become Meri’s mother into his life.
Why do people not want to own a Tesla anymore?
All Tesla models to date have been luxury vehicles. Even the relatively lower priced Model 3 and Y are still in the entry level luxury car market segment.
Luxury Cars are status symbols. People buy them because they want to project a message.
And specifically in the case of Tesla’s, a huge part of the status of those cars came from Elon Musk’s public persona and carefully cultivated image as both a brilliant businessman and engineer, and as an icon for liberal values.
Well, Musk just took that painstakingly assembled image (it doesn’t actually matter how much of it was actually ever true) he had built for himself over decades and nuked it with the Tsar Bomba. He then spat in the face of 90% of Tesla’s existing customer base and 70% of its potential future customer base. Repeatedly.
And the Tesla vehicles themselves were always the min-maxed munchkins of the vehicle world. Since EV technology was still in its infancy and quite expensive when Tesla started out, they made calculated compromises in the design process in an attempt to cut costs. They focused their efforts on the bits that made EVs unique and tried to leverage the specific advantages that electric drive trains had over ICE based ones. As a result, Teslas have excellent battery management software, extreme efficiency, and by all reports of people who have owned and driven them, an absolute pleasure to drive. They just feel incredible for the driver, mostly due to just how superior electric drive trains are to combustion ones overall in aspects like torque and handling and noise and vibrations.
When Tesla’s first came out they were over 10 years ahead of the competition in these aspects.
Everything else that a normal car has or needs, however, in Teslas are dump stats. Build quality was atrocious, interior comfort for passengers was awful. Long term reliability an afterthought (the electric motors are batteries themselves are inherently far more reliable than ICE engines. But everything else….) The general interior was more akin to a budget rental car than a car in the luxury segment as well.
Their market strategy was to appeal to that market segment that really cared about those things Teslas were superlative at, and willing to overlook everything else. With a large part of that willingness hinging on their favorable opinion of Musk himself. With a longer term plan (now blown to smithereens) of eventually capturing more market share and improving their areas of weakness after establishing a favorable brand image and reputation to build.
Now however, while Teslas are still segment leaders in the areas they specialize in, the gap is much narrower. The best of the competition is extremely close in these respects.
And while Teslas have made significant improvements in their dump stats areas they are still below mediocre compared to the competition.
So if you are a normal car buyer who wants a car to actually be a good CAR, and who just happens to also want a good EV, there are superior options to Teslas on the market for you, and some of Teslas dump stats could be absolute disqualifying shoe stoppers for you, no matter how much you admire the rest of the vehicle.
And if you happen to be the type of customer who really only cares about the things Teslas specialize in you might still find a Tesla to be the best option on the market. But you now have a fair number of almost as good second options. And 90% of this market segment, at least in North America and Europe are liberals, whom Musk just slapped in the face. Repeatedly. At which point, Plan B’s like the offerings from Volvo and the Hyundai group and, if your market has them, the Chinese brands like BYD, are suddenly looking mighty appealing.
Why do European people stop travelling to the USA?
Maybe it’s because American customs and immigration agents are shitheads who have been trained to be as nasty and abusive as they possibly can be for absolutely no reason.
I was once held up by a female agent at a land crossing who looked at my Canadian passport photo, looked at me and literally shrieked, “Why is your hair so much lighter?” I hadn’t anticipated being asked this and didn’t know what to say. I was genuinely taken aback. What I did say was, “I don’t know. I guess I got older.” She didn’t like my answer and ordered me to pull over so that the car could be searched. No rationale was offered, she just felt like being a bitch and I was on the receiving end.
Over an hour later I was allowed to go on my way.
I have not entered the US since and don’t plan to do so at any time in the future. I am not a criminal or a subhuman and I don’t appreciate being treated like one. The abuse is utterly unnecessary. I don’t need to go there if I have to put up with that. I’ll spend my tourist dollars elsewhere.
Snow White is AWFUL – The FOULEST of Them All
Is it true that the majority of cars in China are now electric due to high levels of pollution from car emissions? Or is this statement false for some reason?
I checked the data on this issue and found that the statement ‘majority of carsin China are now electric’ is inaccurate – as of 2023, China’s new energy vehicle ownership is about 10% of car ownership (Norway’s new energy vehicle ownership is more than 30% *the highest in the world*, and the US’s is about 2.6%), and new car sales are about 36%.
As for ‘high levels of pollution from car emissions’, that’s not accurate either. Emission reduction is only one aspect, as China’s power grid is still dependent on coal power (58% by 2023), and the actual emission reduction from EVs is only 30-50%. The more important reasons are:
- China’s crude oil dependence on foreign countries exceeds 70%, electrification can reduce energy security risks;
- China controls 60% of the world’s battery production capacity and 75% of lithium refining capacity through companies such as BYD and Ningde Times.
Why do these misstatements occur?
I think it’s still the case that the Chinese environmental crisis portrayed by the BBC and CNN, media outlets funded by the USAID , is just too deep ……
A simple example: New Delhi, India’s average annual PM2.5 concentration was more than twice that of China’s worst city, yet CNN published only three in-depth reports on Indian pollution in the same year, compared to 27 related reports from China.
Have you ever walked out of an interview?
I went in to interview for the position of a police dispatcher (the operator that you speak with when you dial 911). The pay was great, much higher than any of the other call center jobs that I had come from or had been looking at, so I was really hoping to get the position. I was surprised when I walked into the interview room to find a lecture hall layout, with rows of chairs filled with others also interested in the position.
After a few minutes, the supervisor took to the podium and started out “If at any point you do not feel equipped for this position or decide that it just isn’t for you, please feel free to leave.” I was perplexed and wondered why such a disclaimer was necessary and why they had so many candidates interviewing for the position at once.
Next she informed us that in this position there were no sick days. She told us an anecdote about a time during one of our blizzards (this is in Colorado) the city sent a fire truck to retrieve her from her thoroughly snowed in house. This position was about saving lives, and it was important that there was always someone to pick up the phone.
She also warned that anyone who took the position needed to understand the psychological hurdles involved in the job, and that there was a counselor available at all times if needed. There would also be required psychological evaluations periodically.
Whaaaaat..? I wondered to myself.
The question was quickly answered as she described how worrying it was for her when she was new on the job and took calls regarding murders, rapes and assaults that happened on the street of her home address, or in the very near area.
She told us that often you would not get to hear the end of a crime, you would not know whether or not a victim survived or died once the call disconnected.
Lastly she played some recorded calls for us, to help us better understand what we would be dealing with. The first was a man,
“911 What is your emergency?”
“My name is _______. I am at _____(address)_____. I have locked the doors, my family is away and I have a loaded gun. I am going to kill myself. Please send someone over.”
“Sir-” *gunshot*
“Sir are you there?”
Silence.
“Sir please respond.”
The supervisor explained that the man committed suicide, but he didn’t want his family to be the ones to discover his body.
Unnerved I quickly gathered up my things and left. This job did not pay enough.
Sir Whiskerton and the Great Vegetable Debate: A Tale of Talking Tubers, Cosmic Wisdom, and a Very Groovy Cow
Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for a tale so absurd, so delightfully bizarre, that even the scarecrow might raise an eyebrow (if he had any). Today’s story is one of sentient vegetables, existential bickering, and a certain tie-dye cow whose quest for enlightenment spiraled into a farm-wide food fight of philosophy. So, grab your favorite snack (preferably one that doesn’t talk back), and join us for Sir Whiskerton and the Great Vegetable Debate: A Tale of Talking Tubers, Cosmic Wisdom, and a Very Groovy Cow.
Bessie’s Enlightenment Crisis
The sun hung lazily over the farm, casting a golden glow on Bessie the Tie-Dye Cow as she lounged in her favorite patch of clover, her rose-tinted glasses sliding down her nose. “Like, wow, man,” she sighed to no one in particular. “I dig these deep chats with the moonbeams, but sometimes I crave a conversation with someone who gets me, you know?”
Nearby, Sir Whiskerton perched on a fencepost, polishing his monocle with a sigh. “Bessie, my bovine friend, the moonbeams are hardly known for their rebuttals. Perhaps you’d find more stimulating company with, say, literally anyone else on the farm.”
- “But that’s the bummer, man,” Bessie mooed, adjusting her love beads. “Doris just clucks about feed, Porkchop’s always napping, and Ferdinand’s too busy singing opera to discuss the cosmic oneness of all things.”
- “Cosmic oneness?” Sir Whiskerton muttered. “Good grief.”
Just then, Zephyr the Genie materialized in a swirl of psychedelic smoke, his lava lamp bubbling ominously. “Whoa, heavy vibes, Bessie,” he intoned, floating cross-legged above a turnip. “You seek enlightenment? I dig it. Maybe your veggies need to speak their truth, yeah?”
Bessie’s eyes widened. “You can, like, make my vegetables talk?”
Zephyr snapped his fingers. A pulse of groovy energy rippled through the garden. “Done. But remember, Bessie—wisdom isn’t just about listening. It’s about hearing.”
The farm held its breath.
Then the vegetables began to scream.
The Vegetable Uprising
At first, it was just a whisper.
- “Psst. Hey. Yeah, you—the zucchini. You’re totally hogging the sunlight,” hissed a snarky snap pea.
- “Excuse me?” the zucchini retorted. “I’m vertically gifted. Unlike some legumes who just dangle.”
The garden erupted into chaos.
- Carrot (nose in the air): “Let’s be real, I’m the most nutritious. I’ve got beta-carotene, baby!”
- Tomato (flushing red): “Oh please, you’re just orange stick. I’m a culinary icon! Also, technically a fruit.”
- Eggplant (smoothly): “Darling, purple is the color of royalty. And my texture is unparalleled.”
- Spinach (exhausted): “Can we not? I’m trying to photosynthesize.”
Bessie clapped her hooves. “This is far out! Now we can, like, debate the meaning of life!”
Sir Whiskerton, however, was less thrilled. “Bessie, your vegetables are arguing about fiber content. This isn’t enlightenment—it’s a salad bar riot.”
The Farm Takes Sides
News of the talking veggies spread faster than Doris’s gossip. Soon, the animals were picking favorites.
- Doris the Hen (to the Tomato): “You’re divine, darling. So plump. So red.”
- Porkchop the Pig (mouth full): “I dunno, the carrot’s pretentious, but it’s crunchy.”
- Ferdinand the Duck (dramatic): “The eggplant! Such drama! Such panache!”
- Rufus the Dog (licking the corn): “Why’s everyone yelling? This guy’s sweet.”
Even Count Catula swooped in, declaring the garlic “too pungent for my refined palate,” while Jazzpurr penned a beatnik ode to the “lonely, misunderstood artichoke.”
Meanwhile, the vegetables escalated.
- Carrot: “Tomato, you’re so saucy.”
- Tomato: “At least I’m not boring like you!”
- Potato (from the dirt): “HEY. Underground solidarity, guys.”
Bessie, however, was in tears. “This isn’t peace and love! This is vegetable warfare!”
Sir Whiskerton’s Mediation
With a sigh, Sir Whiskerton leaped onto the garden fence. “Enough!” he yowled. The veggies fell silent. “You’re all acting like unseasoned side dishes. Bessie wanted wisdom, not a food fight.”
- Zephyr (sheepish): “Yeah, man. My bad. Maybe I should’ve, like, set some ground rules.”
- Bessie (sniffling): “I just wanted everyone to see each other’s beauty.”
Sir Whiskerton cleared his throat. “Listen, veggies. You’re all valuable. Carrot, you’re packed with vitamins. Tomato, you’re versatile. Eggplant, you’re objectively fancy. But none of you are better—just different.”
The vegetables rustled, considering this.
- Spinach: “He’s… right. We all photosynthesize the same.”
- Potato: “And we all end up mashed eventually.”
A hush fell. Then—
- Tomato (grudgingly): “Fine. But I’m still a fruit.”
The Moral of the Story
As the sun set, Bessie sighed happily. “Like, wow. Today I learned that difference is what makes life groovy.”
Sir Whiskerton nodded. “And that forcing vegetables to debate is a terrible idea.”
The moral, dear reader? Everyone has value, even if they’re different. Whether you’re a crunchy carrot, a saucy tomato, or a cow in rose-tinted glasses, the world’s richer when we celebrate our quirks—not quarrel over them.
A Happy Ending
Zephyr, feeling guilty, turned the veggies back to normal (though the potato swore it could still hear the corn humming). Bessie resumed her moonbeam chats, now with a newfound appreciation for silent salads.
And Sir Whiskerton? He retired to his sunbeam, muttering, “Next time Bessie wants enlightenment, I’m recommending a book.”
The End.
Moral Explicitly Explained: Differences make the world interesting; judging others based on arbitrary traits (like nutrition or color) is silly.
Bonus Joke: The potato’s underground rebellion was rooted in solidarity. (Sorry.)
If the USA was attacked again like 9/11, would Europe and NATO come to its aid again or like the USA and Ukraine?
Let me tell you a story from Spain. A country betrayed, used and despised by the US in the worst of the ways.
Madrid, Spain. March 11th 2004. Al Qaeda bombed a couple of trains when they were leaving Atocha, the city’s main train station, as well as two more stations, around 7:30 a.m of an apparently random Thursday, when they were packed with travelers and ordinary citizens who were just going to work, school or college. 10 bombs simultaneously exploded in 4 different trains. 192 people died and around 2000 people were injured. The worst terrorist attack ever performed in European soil (well, the worst after Lockerbie ). Our 9/11.
WARNING: SENSITIVE IMAGES
The attack was a direct response of Al Qaeda for the Spanish intervention in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Bin Laden directly targeted Spain for backing the US multiple times and the Spanish secret services were under alert. Both wars took place as a result of 9/11. The US targeted Afghanistan and Iraq as the “axis of evil” (amongst others) and accused them both of hosting Bin Laden and those terrorists who perpetrated 9/11. Spain responded and was one of the first countries that sent troops and military personnel and support to fight hand in hand with the Americans. Our “ally” needed help and we just were there to help “a friend”.
Less than one year before March 11, on May 23rd 2003, another terrible black day happened. The flight 4230 from Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines (UMA) crashed in Trabzon (Turkey). All the 75 passengers died. 62 of those passengers were Spanish soldiers coming back from Afghanistan to Spain. They were part of the Spanish contingent that was deployed there to back the US in its war to capture Bin Laden.
SENSITIVE IMAGES AGAIN:
We went to Afghanistan. We went to Iraq. And then March 11 took place. And all what we got from the US Government, apart from a general condolence, was a rebuke from Bush administration for “pulling out” and leaving Iraq. We were accused of giving “false comfort to terrorists” (US chides Spain for Iraq pull-out). We were told that our decision was “regrettable” (Bush Criticizes Spain Pullout From Iraq.
113 Spanish soldiers died between both Iraq and Afghanistan missions. 192 civilians died in Madrid in such a fatal day. 305 people who died as a direct consequence of the Spanish military support to the US in response of 9/11. Those soldiers who died in the plane crash would have never died had they not been deployed in Afghanistan. Those 192 civilians would have never died if Spain had never decided to respond to the US call… And the US Administration has the b*lls to say that we “must take care of our own security “!!! We were there because the US asked for our cooperation!! Those people died literally for the American interests, for YOUR COUNTRY (and for the ridiculous idea that by backing the US we were “fighting for the West” as if the US were representative of Western Values…).
I was quite young when March 11 happened and I remember it so vividly. There was a general shock and the whole country was paralyzed. Even in the school we could not have normal classes for days. I used to live near Madrid and most of our parents took those trains on a daily basis to go working. It took a lot of time to process all of that. Plus, it took place just days before the general elections, so all kind of theories and a state of paranoia crossed the country. Soldiers dying on a mission is something most people can understand. Hundreds of innocent civilians dying for a war neither them nor anyone in the country had nothing to do with, was and is still difficult to take.
Massive protests were carried out around the country to ask for Spanish withdrawal from Iraq when we knew why that happened and who was behind these attacks. We did not understand why we had to fight a war in a far flung place where we did not have anything to do. Yet, we fought with our ally, we send our troops to die (like in Latifiya Ambush, Iraq where a contingent of 7 Spanish Observers was killed), and we even paid the consequences here in our own soil and, instead, we got nothing but a reprimand…
The Yak-42 accident (plane crash) was the first alert call, but the terrorist attacks on March 11 (or all we knew years later) were the biggest turning point in recent years in Spain regarding our perception and opinion of our dear and beloved “ally”. Years later, when it was discovered that Iraq’s intervention was based on false statements and propaganda, most of us also learned that not only our people died for nothing, but that we also were used and manipulated. No wonder why Spain is among the European countries with the lowest perception rates towards the US…
Will we fight again with the US? I cannot decide myself any of that, but I’m pretty sure most of us here in Spain are actually and profoundly against giving any kind of support to the US ever again. Trump is just the last drop of a glass that was already on the brink of overflowing. The issue has been wandering around for a long time, way before the current US Administration, it would be wrong and unfair to put all the blame on Trump, he just made it evident. Or I personally really hope so. We need to see things as they are (as I think here we all understood crystal clear that those wars never really wanted to “restore democracy “, so the idea of ever taking part in something similar again it’s actually a difficult argument to sell among the Spanish people).
I don’t hate ordinary US Citizens, I indeed have friends from the US and I cannot blame them from what their rulers say or do (as I am not responsible for what my government says or do). Indeed, what angers me the most is that we contributed to the destabilization of a country and probably caused more harm than good. Both for Iraqi people and clearly also for us. And we did it all for a country that could not care less about none of us… At this point it is just clear that the interests of the US and the interests of my country are completely different and it is also obvious that even when we decide to put them at risk, to even put Spanish lives at stake, instead of a “thanks for your service “ we are going to receive a stab in the back. The moral of the story for us here in Spain is: never trust the US.
What the f*ck is happening..
Why do people think reciprocal tariffs will help the US which is a net importer of goods?
From what I’ve been reading from conservative/MAGA places and people, it’s something like this:
They believe that the tariff is some kind of tax that the foreign companies have to pay to the US government in order to export something. This is how the tariff is supposed to fund other things later on, because now America got more income.
And next to none of them realize that the tariff will end up being reflected on the price of the items they pay at Walmart and elsewhere. It’s not the foreigners who are paying it; it’s the average American.
And of course none of them realize that even “Made in the USA” stuff often have foreign/imported components because that’s just cheaper than trying to make everything domestically.
I got a first-hand experience about the last one. Just last week, I was told that I can no longer order a 3D printing filament from Czechia. Why? “Accounting isn’t going to approve it because of the tariff”
“Wtf? It’s a stupid $30 roll of plastic, not a $30 million machine!”
That will happen to everyday items very soon.
Economic autarky is just a pipe dream that should have died with Nazi Germany. The only country to practice it today (at least on paper) is North Korea. Not exactly anyone’s definition of paradise.
Pictures
Are there any Chinese AI systems that are comparable or superior to AlphaGo?
It just so happens that I’m very interested in both Go and AI.
I remember that Google DeepMind developed AlphaGo, which defeated top human players and then ceased further research.
After that, David Wu from the University of Texas pioneered the development of the Go AI KataGo. Judging by his name and photo, he’s clearly of Chinese descent, but his identity is likely American.
（Mr.Wu）
KataGo is open-source on GitHub, and anyone can download and use it. I often use it to test the so-called “most exquisite move” in human history to see if it’s really as miraculous as claimed. The conclusion is that at least half of the “brilliant moves” celebrated by ancient and modern players are indeed well-deserved. Interestingly, some “brilliant moves” are judged by the AI to be “very poor.”
Unfortunately, at least 16 shameless Chinese companies have downloaded it, rebranded it, and marketed it as “their own original” AI, charging unsuspecting Go enthusiasts in China.
As a Chinese person, I feel deeply ashamed. I hope these shameless companies go bankrupt soon!
In a Go AI competition held in China, I recall KataGo only finished eighth.
This makes sense because other AI programs it competed against were essentially itself, so the wins and losses were pretty random.
Additionally, it’s said that the Chinese Go Academy has developed its own Go AI specifically for top players to practice with.
Since this AI is tied to national pride (Japanese Go has been completely dominated by China and Korea, but the competition between China and Korea remains fierce), it’s not open to the public.
If this AI truly exists, its capabilities should surpass those of other open-source competitors; otherwise, there’d be no reason to keep it private—professional players could just use KataGo. Of course, it’s also possible that its hardware is exceptionally advanced, with higher computing power leading to a higher level of play, which would make sense.
Yanis Varoufakis REVEALS Why USA Wants to Stop China
No lying: did you regret having children?
As the years have gone by and my children have become adults, I have begun to regret having kids. For one thing, the expense has been tremendous. But that aside, mental illness runs in my family. Depression, psychopathy, and other assorted psychological ills loom large in my family, psrticularly on my mother’s side. I myself have been diagnosed as bipolar (cyclothymia), and my brother has chronic depression, as did my mother, who even considered having electroshock therapy towards the end of her life.
My youngest daughter claims she has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. My son almost certainly has some kind of mental illness, either bipolar or borderline personality disorder. He rages constantly, is completely unpredictable in his moods which can range from almost euphoric to really miserable, and he can be very verbally abusive. My oldest daughter, who is now almost 40, seems to be doing the best. She holds down a good job, has married a very kind and hard-working man, and has a nice home. But she is chronically depressed, has almost no self-confidence, and was on adderall for years for central auditory processing deficit until her doctor refused to continue prescribing it for her.
So, yes, I often regret having children. Not that I don’t love them; I do. But they seem to be so unhappy, and that weighs heavily on my conscience.
The Beginning and The End
Written in response to: “Write a story with the line “You never know a good thing until it’s gone.”“
Barbara Czinger
One screech filled, low-humming month in 2050 and here we are. Everyone was taken by it. I mean, almost everyone. My parents listened to the “crazy neighbor lady” and we settled into her bunker. Not fun, but only about 3 months.
So, after this, the games began. Yes, the games. AI pitted one against the other, seeping in through our ears, lifestyles, social media and all the other areas it could. It was not aliens that got us, it was our own creation. Our own undoing.
In the end, here you are, reading this and knowing there are still people safe from AI out there. Look for HAM radio and people who look a little less glossed over. I know reader, HAM radio, funny, you never know a good thing until it is gone. It has been used for centuries and maybe it is not gone…but is not sanctioned anymore. So, tread lightly, you know. Be careful. Something is always watching. AI tells us what to do, how to live and all the things.
As you know, we are the United World State…no longer countries, but AI generated laws, for all of us. How that happened, you ask. Well, one war led to another and finally, AI came for the tanks, machines, radar, anything that the militaries used to fight. In a way, we all thought it would save us. One country, one world. Isn’t that the idea? Peace for all. Well, dear reader, it was, for a time. But people are people and AI knew, somehow it knew, to keep us all in check was to keep power and control. Funny, we thought some historical figures were terrible, Hitler, President Black, and many others. But here we are, we never thought, expected, or hoped to relinquish our freedom to a machine.
When the last of the crusades came to pass, many people who could went to ground. The subways were closed, tunnels, even the drug tunnels were full of people trying to hide, to rise up later. We had a plan, were somewhat organized. Well, reader, organized as we could be for the situation. But we had a leader. Yes, if you are wondering, it was me. I am the leader of the Resistance, the keeper of the keys, so to speak. The keys are the undoing of AI, but we could not get close enough, ever, to move it forward. We tried, God knows we tried. But success was always just a grasp away.
After the final attempt in 2060, we decided to rebuild, settle as best we could to live to fight another day. We settled, as you know if you have this letter, in Hawaii. The longest trip, the farthest we could be from it. It worked and we were living as we planned. By then, people were so very tired that it was easy to settle into consistency, you know? We stopped using computers, phones and all the digital products we could. We cut power to the machines and learned old school handwriting for communication. We used HAM radio, pens, and paper. We met in places, walked, and talked to each other. It was amazing. I am sure you can guess, dear reader, it was a bountiful, prosperous time. Then it came for us too. I will not go into details; it is too painful. But enough to say death and destruction came from within. One child, one time, one bad decision…and we were back in the tunnels, literally dying to get off the island, find another place to be. Thank goodness there was the Island to Main tunnel that was built years ago. No signal. We found some safety. Just some, though, not enough for us all. People are still people and panic is real. Enough, reader. I will not get into detail, as I said. But please know, chaos had become the norm.
The thing is, dear reader, we are still out there, searching, and living in the tunnels, forests, and mountains, waiting for our chance to strike. Maybe this year, maybe in fifty…but we will be back.
Take good care, reader.
Aurora
Is it better to invest in Indian stock markets or American stock markets?
The Indian stock market has grown tremendously in recent years. Especially during the COVID-19 lockdown period. But, compared to the US stock market, it still has a long way to go. This is partly because the US market has been active for more than 230 years, since the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) began operations in 1792.
Apart from that, the US is the hub of global innovation. Be it the light bulb, the airplane or the internet, every breakthrough has had an American mind behind it. Even the latest AI revolution is led by the US. Due to this, many US-based companies get a first-mover advantage, giving them a monopoly in certain sectors. This is why there are virtually no rivals to companies like META, Nvidia, Google, and Microsoft, giving them an upper hand in the market, subsequently boosting their profits to incomparable levels.
Consider this, the US market alone represents over 60% of the global market capitalization. Of the total 12 trillion-dollar companies in the world, 9 are from the US. These 9 companies alone are worth four times more than India’s total market capitalization.
Since the last 10 years, the S&P 500–one of the four major US indices–has consistently outpaced every other global market index, including the NIFTY 50. Only two other indices, the NASDAQ Composite and the tech-heavy NASDAQ 100, both US-based, have surpassed the S&P 500.
Looking at these factors, it is clear why the US is and will continue to be the world’s biggest and the fastest-growing market.
How to Invest in the US?
Investing in the US markets might seem far-fetched for some, but in reality, it is not much different from investing in the Indian market.
With the emergence of digital trading apps like Appreciate, diversifying one’s portfolio into the US, from India, does not even require an entire day.
Just by downloading the Appreciate app from the Google Play Store, completing the KYC process and adding funds to invest, you can directly start investing in US stocks like Nvidia, Apple, and Google, with as low as ₹1.
Why Appreciate?
Appreciate is India’s leading US trading platform with more than 5 lakh active Indian investors. On Appreciate investors pay zero rupees for AMC, and withdrawals, and have the lowest brokerage. With its one-click remittance process, investors can transfer as low as ₹1 to the US without attracting any charges.
Along with all these, each portfolio on Appreciate is insured for up to $500,000 by the SIPC, a US government corporation. With its SEBI-registered clearing partner DriveWealth, Appreciate is the most convenient and easy-to-use trading platform for Indians looking to diversify into the US.
What is the process for a country to impose tariffs on imports? What are the consequences if the tariffs are not paid?
Very simple. Let’s say the US decides to put a tariff on Canadian softwood lumber (2X4’s, 2X6, etc). So, a load of Canadian lumber stops at the US/Canada border, US ICE gets the value of the lumber from the freight manifest, and charges the importer at the point of entry to the United States.
That load of lumber, heads to Lowes or Home Depot, where it’s noticed that load of lumber, is now 20% more expensive, due to the already paid tariff.
So, Lowes or Home Depot, in order to keep their profit margins, now marks up the lumber by about the same amount as the tariff.
If the tariff isn’t paid, the shipment doesn’t cross the US border.
Rednote EXPOSES The TRUTH: China Gives FREE Housing After Disasters—Why Can’t America?😱🇨🇳
Why are the British better than the Americans at fighting insurgents?
When British troops were patrolling in Basra after the Itaq war, they wore stab vests, patrolled on foot, left the sunglasses in the barracks and wore berets.
When the Americans patrolled, they did it in humvees, wore helmets, sunglasses and if they got out of their vehicles at all they made sure they were “covered” at all times.
Kids would follow the British guys around, having fun with them.
The Americans would have no contact at all.
If a British soldier needed information, they would just ask a local. If Americans needed information someone would be picked up or summoned to go to their HQ.
For some reason, Iraqis didn’t like the Americans very much but seemed to get on OK with the Brits.
Is it possible for an American and a Chinese person to get married without going through the legal process?
You can have a wedding banquet or even a church wedding without registering the marriage legally. However, it will not be a recognized marriage by the United States or China. That means you can not stay in either country on a fiancé or marriage visa and it means neither country would consider you legally married in any official documentation.
It also means in the event one of you becomes medically incapacitated your “spouse” has no legal right to make medical decisions on your behalf, and should you die, unless your will stipulates it, your “spouse” won’t inherit any assets you want them to have. And I have witnessed horrible situations where parents or children showed up in times of sickness and death and ran all over someone’s life partner in ways their family member never would’ve allowed. Legalities aren’t romantic to talk about, but you do need to ensure things are in order how you want in the event you are incapacitated. Take it from someone who was—and who was not happy about some things that went on while I was unconscious.
Abby Choi was a Hong Kong socialite who had a lot of wealth from her family and in her own right. She married, had two children and divorced. She remained on friendly terms with her ex and former in-laws and co-parented her children. She also took care of her ex’s family financially. Then she fell in love with another man and married him but didn’t register the marriage legally. Everyone referred to him as her husband but on paper it was not registered with the Hong Kong government. They also had two children.
Her ex and his family were greedy and thought by murdering her and raising her eldest two children they could lay claim to her wealth since her second marriage had never been recognized. In normal circumstances a husband would inherit his late wife’s assets but for some reason her ex and his family stood to profit from her death. Thankfully their plan was foiled in that they will spend their lives in prison most likely but Abby lost her life in a most gruesome manner and four children lost a mother and a man lost his wife, even if it wasn’t official on paper.
So can you “marry” without the legal process? Technically yes, and in the eye of God yes. But in the eyes of the government, no. And I would question why someone wanted to marry me but without the legal process. Do they have another wife already? Are they in a triad and on the run for breaking the law? Why???? I’d have many questions that I would want answers for.
Why are the Chinese coping since they found out the US actually has the first 6th gen aircraft and is years ahead? There’s nothing wrong with 2nd place, China has still come so far in such a short time.
Not at all. If the USAF had a 6th Generation aircraft yeah? Then they would not have kept it a secret.
The first thing is? Secrecy is expensive. Let’s say I want to secretly build a super rifle. To keep it TOP SECRET. I get it manufactured in parts, but the parts can’t look like they’d fit together as a gun. So I call an intermediary who calls an intermediary who calls an intermediary who calls an intermediary to spec some CNC milling of alloy.
Ok it’s made but now when you come to put it into the SUPER SECRET doomsday rifle. It doesn’t fit, these things happen. So you have to go all the way through those intermediaries again to get the part re-machined. Each of those intermediaries will want a finders fee, and a keep my mouth shut fee, and they need to be watched too so they don’t spill the beans.
Without SUPER top secrecy? The CNC mill gets a phone call telling them a part doesn’t fit, it’s put back into the CNC machine and the new part is made without all the intermediary fees, bribes, hush money and surveillance.
It’s why a lot of things in the military aren’t secret. The way the gas system works on an M4 is no secret. Stuff that goes into MREs isn’t secret.
Stealth coating isn’t secret – BUT the exact composition like KFC’s secret herbs and spices is kept secret.
but the biggie is this
The above is from Doctor Strangelove. Here’s the youtube link.
The USA and the USSR have always been big on deterrence AND they’ve used it against China multiple times and guess what it worked against us.
When there was a ‘skirmish’ over Demansky/Zhenbao island (by skirmish I mean there were 500,000+ troops on each side with about 2000 dead per side). The USSR literally had bombers loaded with nuclear bombs.
Same with the numerous Taiwan Strait crises, they’ve put nuclear capable rockets on the Island, Sailed carrier battle groups through the straits.
We can see this in real life.
People act tough, until somebody shows their gun and the others back off.
Here’s the fun part.
China is using exactly the same deterrence as western powers did.
Hence why when the PLA launched a DF21 test targeting a moving fishing boat the USN was informed to get them to turn their spy satellites and watch it.
What is the biggest regret of your life that still makes you think about it?
Not spending enough time with my Dad. When my parents divorced I didn’t understand what was going on or the reason he was leaving. I just knew my Dad wouldn’t be around to see me ride my bike, tuck me in or be there when I had bad dreams. Also the holidays like Christmas and opening up our presents and him playing board games with us kids. When he left it was the hardest, saddest thing. He remarried later and that was even harder. His new wife didn’t want me or my sister around because it would of taken my Dad’s attention off her. I realize and regret it that if I would of asked him to come and visit me without her he would of . I waisted so much time and precious moments without him. Time I never got back. When my mother died he stepped up to the plate and was there for me I was beyond heart broken and lost. You could say he brought me back. I spent as much time with him as I could. He passed in 2011. When I got the call he passed I was down on my knees and couldn’t get up or catch my breath. I realized he would of not wanted me to live like that. He would want me to get back up and keep going. My Dad gave me the strength and determination and kindness for people it came from him. He also gave the strength to stand up for myself and be a loving person. This story hits really hits home. I miss my Dad. He was an amazing person.
Gina
Boston Baked Beans
The secret of delicious baked beans is to keep them covered with water at all times except during the last hour of baking.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Equipment
- 2 quart bean pot
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 pounds white pea beans
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1 pound fat salt pork
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 8 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 medium size onion
- 2/3 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Soak beans overnight in water.
- In the morning, rinse the beans and cover with fresh water that you have added 1 teaspoon of baking soda and parboil them for 10 minutes.
- Run cold water through the beans in a colander or strainer. Score salt pork into 1 inch squares, then cut in. Put 1/2 of the salt pork on the bottom of the bean pot with whole peeled onion. Put beans in the pot and put the rest of the salt pork on top.
- Mix other ingredients with boiling water and pour over beans.
- Bake in preheated 250 degrees F oven for 8 hours. Keep adding water as necessary to keep the beans moist, but be sure not to flood the beans. Do not cover.
Why don’t companies just make everything in the US to avoid tariffs?
What do you need in order to produce a product?
1.) Raw materials. We don’t have all the raw materials for every product, or we might need more factories to make them first. Say making shoes—ok, but first we need a lot more leather tanneries. That will take time to build up.
2.) Factory facilities. Obviously we don’t currently have the capacity to replace all this right away:
So we have to build new factories. Rivian company is building a new factory in Georgia. It will take two years to get it up and running.
3.) Workers. Our unemployment level is only 4%, and not everyone is going to want to work in a factory.
4.) So we’re going to need more immigration! Factories in the US have *always* been staffed mainly by immigrants, whether from Quebec or Poland.
Does your daughter or sister want to work at this job?
5.) *Everything* will have to cost more!! Why did companies start manufacturing overseas? To save money. US workers cannot and will not work for $1 an hour, while people in Bangladesh might have better lives at that rate of pay.
6.) Some products cannot be grown in the US. We have no banana farms, or tea plantations, and coffee is only produced in very small (and expensive) quantities in Hawaii. You will only be able to have whatever fresh products are available in season. No strawberries in winter. No apples in early summer. Very few avocados ( Imported avocados now account for 90% of the domestic supply)—and you first need to grow an entire tree!
7.) Some products are superior in certain countries. Yes, we make wine and cheese and olive oil and soy sauce and spirits—but people like French champagne and Italian cheese and Spanish olive oil and Japanese soy sauce and Scotch from Scotland. No more of any of that.
8.) Ever been to an ethnic grocery store? Shut them all down—no more Japanese products or Chinese products or Italian grocery stores, or German sausage.
As long ago as 1776, Adam Smith wrote a book called The Wealth of Nations, in which he explained that different places have different specialties, and by trading, everybody is better off.
Too bad Dear Leader never read it.