Elephant feet or red spots on the calves
Elephant feet or red spots on the calves. It’s a blood pressure problem.
So, here’s the skinny.
I started taking blood pressure medicines a few years back when it was becoming known that my BP was over 165 all the time. And that, my dear readers, is not at all healthy.
I delayed and delayed, but eventually I gave in.
They started me out with the cheapest blood pressure medicine. It was just this little white oval pill with a “10” embedded in it. And it was cheap. Maybe something like five cents a day to take.
And it worked.
Except it had a side effect.
I got tired easily, and got out of breath. I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs, and just a normal five block walk to the bus station took an eternity. Not good.
But something else happened.
My legs changed.
I got “elephant feet.” My feet got thick and huge. Like the stumps of trees.
Yikes!
Maybe something like this…
Photo from the internet. Not my feet.
Thank God!
So I went to the clinic, and they modified my dosage and gave me a new medicine.
This is just an oval white pill. A bit more expensive. Maybe something like twenty five cents a day.
It seems to work ok.
Though, I now have these huge bright red oval colors on my calves. Yuppur. One on each leg. But heck my blood pressure is fine.
My doctor said that it is nothing to worry about.
I can live with it.
Now, lately I have been having these occasional spikes in my blood pressure. So I was prescribed some additional pills and herbal remedies to take. The Chinese traditional medicines work great!
Blood pressure is not something you want to play around with.
You can have a stroke or an aneurysm or something terrible like a heart attack. So play it cool and avoid stress.
Watch your health, and take nothing for granted.
Today….
Written by Pepe Escobar
Nothing to see here. Just a hypersonic demo.
Well, not really.
The average American is only capable of making (some sort of) sense of the world through movies. So let’s go back to a classic: the opening sequence of Coppola’s Apocalypse Now – the Vietnam war counterpart to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, set in the Congo.
In the movie, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is barely capable of enacting a drunken soliloquy alone in his room in Saigon. He’s waiting for his assignment: a special mission all the way to the Heart of Darkness (in the movie, represented by the illegal American incursion/indiscriminate bombing of Cambodia).
Willard, in the V.O., barely mutters, “Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker and Charlie gets stronger.” Charlie, out in the jungle, was how American GIs referred to the Vietcong.
Cue from the “American war” – how the Vietnamese refer to it – to the US/NATO proxy war in Ukraine.
The American Empire is now a drunken Captain facing the (revamped) jungle – as qualified by that stupid Spaniard Borrell, the exiting EU foreign policy “chief”. Every minute Captain stays in his decrepit garden – the counterpart to a seedy room in Saigon – Charlie, out in the jungle, gets stronger.
What’s even more ominous is that Charlie, now, is not the Vietcong.
Charlie now is nuclear, hypersonic Russia.
Captain America believed it would intimidate Russkie Charlie with the “authorization” straight out of the Deep State for Ukraine to attack targets inside the Russian Federation with ATACMS.
Such attacks had already happened in the past on Russia’s new territories. Still, two new ones were unleashed after the “authorization”, against Kursk and Bryansk; one with ATACMS, and the other with Storm Shadows.
Then came the inevitable Russian response. What was that? New multiple hypersonics? Zeus? Superman?
Deputy Chair of the Security Council, Dimitri “Unplugged” Medvedev, could not resist concise trolling; “So that’s what you wanted? Well, you’ve damn well got it!”
Collective West rats were predictably scurryin’ all across the spectrum after watching what was first interpreted as a RS-26 “conventional warheads package” demo.
Then President Putin went on the record.
Key takeaways: Western long-range weapons have been used against Russia, which retaliated with the new, medium-range, ballistic hypersonic “Oreshnik” system against the Yuzhmash factory in Dnipropetrovsk; additionally, the use of long-range weapons by the enemy cannot affect the course of the Special Military Operation (SMO).
But this was the key relevant message Putin relayed to the Americans, NATO and the collective West:
“We are conducting combat tests of the Oreshnik missile system in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia. The issue of further deployment of medium-range and shorter-range missiles will be decided by us, depending on the actions of the United States and its satellites. The targets for destruction during further tests of our newest missile systems will be determined by us based on threats to the security of the Russian Federation. We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military installations of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities. And in case of escalation of aggressive actions, we will also respond decisively and in a mirror manner. I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that have plans to use their military contingents against Russia seriously think twice about this.”
Sir, would you like some hazelnut salad?
The initial interpretation of this de facto game-changing move was that Russia had launched a single RS-26 Rubezh road mobile missile against the Yuzhmash missile production factory in Dnepropetrovsk, equipped with six independent, non-nuclear (italics mine) warheads, each in turn deploying other warheads (call it 6×6 = 36).
That in itself changed the “essence” of the war in Ukraine, as Putin himself had previously recognized when it comes to the “authorization” for attacks by ATACMS.
Putin’s speech established that Russia in fact used a completely new medium range (1,000 to 3,000 km) missile, the Oreshnik (“Hazelnut). Even US officials admitted it’s an “experimental” system; that implies they knew something about it.
Putin himself also referred to “combat testing”. What is established beyond any testing, in Putin’s own words, is that “Hazelnut” may be sent as a gift to any target across NATO.
Oreshnik is as badass as missiles get.
It may reach the UK in only 19 minutes; Brussels in 14; Berlin in 11; and Warsaw in 8 minutes. And, of course, traveling at over Mach 10, it simply cannot be intercepted by anything in the collective West arsenal.
That includes the US.
High destructive power is a given – already guaranteed by the surprise factor; you only know what hits you after you get hit (maybe).
One potential option is that Oreshnik targeted secret underground workshops at Yuzhmash, where NATO had sent equipment and parts for short-range ballistic missiles (500 km to 1,500 km).
In his four books and in his blog, the indispensable Andrei Martyanov has made it clear that “Russia has an overwhelming conventional escalation superiority” compared to the Hegemon. So, yes: this testing of an IRCM (a conventional missile) with hypersonic MIRVs (Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles) may be just a demo – a preview of what else may be in store.
Martyanov: “NATO has zero capability to stop Russia’s long-range fires.”
The “demo” also happens to be paired with a new shot at making war a relatively civil affair: Moscow will warn civilians of any impending Oreshnik strike. Those that won’t leave will do so at their own peril.
As Martyanov remarked, “this is not anymore just SMO”. Indeed: for quite a while we have been way past a special military operation: this is a do-or-die NATO v. Russia hot war. Aggravated by the fact that the Hegemon’s ruling elites are congenitally incapable of stop escalating.
Even the Oreshnik demo won’t stop escalation.
A plausible scenario is that US military intel learned about an impeding Russian mid-range ballistic missile strike and then informed Kiev and NATO. Moscow then warned the US 30 minutes before the strike (that’s the norm, to prevent nuclear misunderstandings); the Americans not only confirmed it, but stressed there was no risk of a Russian nuclear attack on Kiev, now or in the foreseeable future.
Oreshnik in fact is a tacit demo that Russia does not need nuclear power to solve anything in the Ukrainian theater of war.
So let’s assume that escalation has been controlled – for now.
Yet we still have nearly two months of a completely deranged US administration in power.
NATO’s congenital dementia suggests escalation will continue. The difference though is stratospheric: now they don’t know if Oreshnik handing them a business card comes with a nuclear bomb on or not.
For all the inbuilt dementia of the current – exiting – administration, Americans who only understand the world via movies may have forgotten that it was Trump 1.0 who withdrew the US from the INF treaty, in 2019. If the US had remained, Russia would not have been able to develop and use Oreshnik.
But now it’s hazelnut salad time, everybody; a great way to regulate blood pressure.
How do you (widower) spend the rest of your life span without your wife?
My wife died when I was 55. That was ten years ago.
I know what NOT to do when your wife of 20 years passes.
Don’t sit down.
I sat down. A real comfortable chair. I just waited a few years for our boys to graduate and become independent. Then, my plan was, I would go sailing, traveling, diving, whatever I wanted for the rest of my life. Lots of time in Europe.
But when you sit quietly for several years, a few surprising things happen.
My immune system dropped. My depression worsened. My brain got as weak as my muscles.
One day, I was planting a bush and found I couldn’t stand up from a squat.
Another day, I realized my ability to do math in my head was gone.
I gained so much weight in my belly that I can’t see my toes.
Cancer struck my prostate.
My IQ lost 25 points—really.
The docs said, “Don’t worry, you’re still well above average.”
I lost over an inch in height.
And I just felt like shit. 24/7.
One day, as I shuffled and strained to get out behind a restaurant table, it just felt different—bad different.
I asked my doc for an EKG. “No, you just had an EKG a few days ago. It’s fine.”
I insisted. This EKG showed defective circuitry. I had actually pin pointed the time a nerve died in my heart.
The prostate was cut out. But the fat made it hard to see in there, so the surgeon accidentally cut out—more.
That was several years ago.
I was totally healthy before my wife died. Then I became inactive for three years.
Now I’m on my 5th year (8 total) trying to get my health back.
I am a heart patient, a cancer patient, and the most disabled person in the grocery store. I take 16 different medications every day.
And the only way to get an erection is to…wait for it…
inject a painful med directly into the shaft of the penis. Inject. my. dick.
Of all the things I missed, those 25 IQ points hurt the most.
Is life really unfair?
Yes. Life is very very unfair.
My husband started working immediately after graduation.
At the age of 60, I asked him to retire. He said he would work for 2 more years since his company was not willing to leave him and also it would make our future more secure. I agreed as he said he would feel bored sitting at home and he had plans to travel once he retired for which we would need money.
He did not retire at 62 since his company told him to continue for one more year as they couldn’t find his replacement. I too was busy taking care of my mother so I didn’t object.
When he was 63 my mother passed away. About 6 months after her passing away I asked him to retire since he had wanted to travel and now even I was free to travel with him.
When he broached his retirement to his company, they told him to take leave whenever her wanted to travel, but to not leave the company. They also let him work from home and he attended office only once a week. I was against it as I wanted him to focus more on his health, but he did not listen. He was already hypertensive and taking blood pressure pills from last 20+ years and now he was diabetic too.
We had a lot of fights and misunderstandings in the last 3 years.
But we did travel a lot in India in the last one year.
In January of 2024 he was having severe hip joint pain. Since the pain was not going away and he started getting blood in the urine, doctors advised Mri. The Mri revealed aggressive stage IV metastatic cancer which had metastasized to lungs and brain. He was put on catheter.
I will not bore readers with the details, suffice to say the next 5 months were absolute hell for all of us going in and out of hospitals.
I nearly went into depression. And if it wasn’t for the constant counseling and support of my sister and son I would have probably fallen into depression.
Now, Since he has taken brain radiation he has been asked not to drive any vehicles. He is on anti seizure medicine and gets constant headache nowadays.
Neither we have harmed anybody nor wished ill for anybody, so sometimes I do wonder why we are going through all this. But then I console myself thinking that if not this birth probably it is karma from our previous birth which is the cause for this situation.
All his plans for retirement just evaporated into thin air.
Today, I just pray to Shirdi Sai baba asking for his blessings and help to face whatever comes our way and support my husband as much as it is possible for me.
So a big “ yes”.
LIFE IS REALLY UNFAIR AND THE SOONER WE ACCEPT THE FACT THE BETTER FOR US.
The TRUTH about our trip to CHINA (What REALLY happened)
How do you compare China and India as Apple’s production bases? Is Apple’s supply chain returning from India back to China? Why?
When the Iphone 15 was manufactured – They reduced production by 21% in China
This was due to the reduced workforce post Covid 19 lockdowns and due to Apples effort at aiming to diversify their dependence on China as a production hub for the Iphone
These decisions were taken in 2022 when everyone felt that China would perpetually be a huge market for the iphone and there would be no competitor to the Iphone
Especially because when these decisions were taken, Huawei – the only possible competition was far from making their own 5G handset
Foxconn changed its manufacturing policy
They manufactured Iphones in India and China
They then exported and sold nearly 61% of the Chinese assembled phones to their Global markets in US, Europe and Middle East , an increase of 15% from the normal 46% for the Iphone 14
They replaced these exports, by importing INDIAN ASSEMBLED IPHONES and selling them to China
However a lot of things happened post that decision in China :-
A. Huawei launched the Mate 60 and Pura 70 with home made 7 nm Chips and caused a large dent in Iphone 15 Sales in China
B. Chinese Users instantly recognized India assembled smartphones and found they overheated and had a bunch of quality flaws and demanded that Apple label the Country of Assembly on the boxes
C. Chinese appetite for the Iphone crashed and they simply decided it wasn’t worth the money to buy the same phone for 12000 RMB that was no better than an Iphone 14
Tim Cook rushed to China for Damage Control and found some key points including the fact that APPLE SALES WERE CONTINUING TO DOWNSLIDE
So for the Iphone 16, the changes include :-
- Every Iphone to be sold in China will be assembled only on the Mainland. Apple and Foxconn will not be selling a SINGLE INDIA ASSEMBLED IPHONE in China
- This means the 21% reduction for the Iphone 15 Production that Foxconn carried out intending to swap the reduced numbers with Indian Assembled Iphones IS BEING ROLLED BACK
- So Production for the Iphone 16 will increase significantly on the Mainland
- This means 53,000 New Jobs and an entire new factory
- This means 2700 New Contracts for Chinese OEMs that they had lost for the Iphone 15
So Apples OEM contracts and jobs in China are definitely increasing
In India – it is clear that Iphones assembled in India can no longer be sold in Mainland China
So Production will be cut in India
However market in India is expected to grow Apple sold 8.86 Million iphones in 2023 and expect to sell 11 Million Iphones in 2024/25
So Domestic market production would be increased which would offset the cut in production destined for the Chinese markets
So what has changed?
Apple and Foxconn had presumed to move 40% of their manufacturing out of China by 2030 to India
Now they have revised this number to 30% in January 2024 and to 18% in June 2024
From 40% to 18%
Realistically experts believe that India cannot handle beyond 12% of Global Production of the Iphone
Presently around 5.5% of the world’s Iphones are assembled in India of which 91% are destined to be sold in the Indian Market
Comparison of China and India as Production Bases
China averages 3900 OEM contracts for the Iphone, India averaged 68 OEM Contracts
China’s First Quality was 19 per 10,000 meaning 0.19% defects
Indias was a whopping 4652 per 10,000 meaning 46.52% defects
First Quality means the First Batch of 10,000 phones off the line
What happened to your school bully?
Tony the tough guy got expelled from another high school and joined us 12 year olds. Not the sharpest tool in the box he was good at sports. Had a moustache, shaved and was a good head taller than me. Who was not at all sporty but generally had a quick and occasionally cruel tongue.
We had a fight- the usual handbags at dawn schoolyard affair. He didn’t really hurt me but did pretty convincingly win and absolutely convinced me I didn’t want a rematch. From then on I avoided him and he occasionally shot an insult or 3 at me.
He was about until I was about 14, then disappeared – possibly because he bussed to our school from a fair way away. There were 1800+ kids at the school and I didn’t miss one that I didn’t care for :so good riddance.
In the next ten years or so I grew a foot and a half and put on over a 100llbs mostly of muscle. And in my mid twenties did some door work at a local bikers pub that hosted bands. A massive place that sometimes had 100s of bikes parked outside at the weekend and might get 2000 punters for a good band.
I’m at the bar early and this little bloke with a moustache who seems as if he knows me comes up and we exchange pleasantries. He’s kinda creepy and obsequious but guys sometimes are- and generally want free admission to the venue part of the pub or a nod that’s it’s ok to sell a bit of dope. The former means I get a bit less wages, the latter means Trevor, the owner, overall sells less beer. So no!
Another school mate eventually tells me it’s Tony the tough guy. I doubt he was 5′6″ tall- I initially thought he must have shrunk with some sort of wasting disease as I recalled him as massive.
Turns out that going through puberty early caps off your bones- meaning at school you’re a big guy compared to all the boys who’s nuts haven’t dropped. The later one goes through puberty the more likely you are to be tall.
Next time I was ready for him: “ Hey you’re Tony ain’t ya, off ya trot you’re barred”. I guess he must have known me because he didn’t ask why or say anything 😉 There was 3 of us on the door so even if he was as tough as his school nickname – he would have died 🙂
Single Mum Ghosted Me After I Said I Have A Low Income, Has MELTDOWN When I Reveal The Truth
Guys relating their stories. So relatable. It’s the reality of life today.
So sad to say.
What can a person over 90 do for fun?
My mother is 89. Two years ago, she moved in with me. Each morning I hear her getting up at around 7:30 AM. She then baby talks to and feeds the 23 year old cat. Afterward, she makes herself breakfast and sits in the sunroom drinking coffee until she comes to her senses. Then she pushes her dust mop across the floors ( 2600 sq feet. ) for exercise. She will then cook if she feels like it, clean the kitchen, and do some calisthenics. In the afternoon, she does her beauty routine, which varies. Occasionally, she sifts through her megalithic, expensive and expansive wardrobe and either gifts me with stuff, donates, or sells them on the Real Real. I tell often her, ‘ Mom, you could have invested this money, and be living in a luxury home now.’ ‘ Eh,’ she replies. ‘ I love my clothes. Plus one day, all this will be yours because your sister has no taste.’
For fun, we take 3 mile walks by the lake about 5 times per week. She meets up with her girlfriends about once a month to party. She reads a lot and is working her way through my library. She daily speaks with her 91 year old sister who lives in San Diego and visits twice a year. (My aunt still works as an accountant for a private client).
Aside from the cat, her greatest joy is her tablet, which I gave her last Christmas. She loves to read all about her favorite authors and composers, listen to the non mainstream news, watch various ballets, operas etc. At midnight, I hear her saying something like- ‘ I should really go to sleep now but someone put Pavarotti in my YouTube! ‘
She and her sister won the genetic lottery. Photo is from 2 years ago. This is how she dressed to go on an airplane. ‘ I look horrible! ‘ she says. I try to emphasize the positive. ‘ Mom, most people are dead at your age.”
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
- 1/2 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon amaretto
Filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup whipping cream
- 1/3 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted and ground
- 1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur
- 1/4 cup amaretto
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Combine first 4 ingredients; firmly press mixture evenly on bottom of a lightly greased 10 inch springform pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
- Set aside to cool.
- Beat softened cream cheese at high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating well.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Stir in whipping cream and next 3 ingredients.
- Pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes; turn oven off, and leave in oven for 30 minutes.
- Combine sour cream, the 1 tablespoon sugar and vanilla extract; stir, and spoon over cake.
- Sprinkle the 1/4 cup almonds around edge.
- Bake at 500 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Cool; chill.
Pizza Porn
*OMG* FIRST TIME HEARING JOE COCKER – WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS | REACTION
MM asked them to react to this!!!! And they did so.
YAY for me!
What factors contribute to China’s ability to produce goods at a low cost? Is it primarily due to cheap labor or are there other reasons?
Low cost labor is how China became the world’s workshop. But overtime, as higher end production like electronics moved into China, China learned more efficient production, engaged in robotics and TQM such as Six Sigma.
In 2001, i visited Haier, a white goods manufacturer in Qingdao. It was originally a German China joint venture. One of the poorest performing ones. The German side pulled out. The mayor of the city was given the job of turning it around. Immediately, he had all the washing machines that were substandard brought to the local stadium. All the factory staff took sledgehammers and vowed in public to never make substandard products again. Public humiliation is one of the hardest things to do in China.
In a few years, products improved. The CEO went to America and became friends with GE CEO Jack Welch and asked to have staff trained in six Sigma. Quality improved and the products became best sellers in China.
When I visited in 2001, they were already using robots in the warehouse. Only two humans in the warehouse. Domestic orders were shipped in 24 hours. Overseas orders in 72.
Haier later bought up GE Appliances in the US when they were losing money. The student bested his teacher!
Huawei is the second or third largest researcher in the world and owns more patents to 5G than anyone else.
The Chinese government gave Elon Musk land concessions and tax breaks to open a Tesla gigafactory in Shanghai. He was the catfish that spurred a new industry.
Over 400 startups in EV manufacturing sprung up. Now only 140 remain and it is a bloodbath. Competition is driving down prices and improving quality.
It is not relying on low cost labor but no cost labor and improved production methods. Industrial robots have reduced a lot of costs and safety issues. Gigacasting means 300–400 parts are molded pre-attached to the body. It also makes the car safer with less parts becoming lose. The factory output is now as fast as one car a minute! Legacy factories take 5.5 days to produce a car.
So low cost is no longer the prime driver now. Low cost labour jobs have been exported to Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand and Pakistan by Chinese companies.
How does the U.S.A. stop fentanyl and auto sear switches coming from China?
They’re not coming from China. China only sells to government approve buyers. Approved by the import nation’s government.
US opioid crisis: New government report finds Mexico is dominant source of fentanyl trafficked into US | CNN PoliticsMexican official: CIA ‘manages’ drug trade | Features | Al Jazeera
Gee I wonder how all those drugs manage to cross the border in millions of tons every year. China banned sales of fentanyl and pre-cursors in 2019 except to authorized companies. Authorized by the national government of the import nation.
Anybody with desktop CNC machine can make a auto-sear. You can literally find different types on the internet. You can even print them if you want to.
The United States just staged a successful coup in Bangladesh. They installed a CIA “yes man” or “puppet” (depending on your personal opinions), who is both anti-China, anti-India, and rabidly pro-United States.
Great discussion on the Duran.
Which cancer is more likely to kill you without realizing that you have it?
long story short, as a 32 year old working full time, in school full time and a single mother, I thought my exhaustion was just that… all of the above. I had unusual symptoms but kept pushing them off. Finally, I went to the clinic on campus and the next day the doctor called with the results, she told me to have a friend take me to the hospital. Went there, tests were repeated and an ambulance was called to rush me to an ICU in the city with a bone marrow oncology team. I was originally dx’d with acute myeloid leukemia. I had been joking with friends that my period was going to k*ll me bc it was so awful and not relenting. The doctors said, no… you really only had another night or two left before you would have bled out and passed in your sleep. If not from the period, another form of internal bleeding would have gotten me. My platelets were I think like 2,000. My hct and hemoglobin were bottomed out and my anc was under 500/undetectable.
Since my illness, I’ve seen stories of others, especially younger people, experiencing the same and either passing and finding out later through autopsy they had AML or barely pulling through the initial diagnostic crises to either pass during treatment or through later complications. I’m a decade out from all of this. 9/19/14 was when I went into the hospital. It’s bittersweet bc I survived, but I’m a shell of my old self. The illness/treatments disabled me and I’ve lost everything I had worked so hard for… even my teen son’s father and his wealthy fiance have won him over – I can’t compete. That’s off topic, but honestly, it might as well have taken me physically, bc it k*lled me otherwise, I’m just still here. I fought to be disabled and miserable.
Sorry for the side tangent at the end, coming up on a decade anniversary since this all started has had me in an awful place mentally.
Oh the truth!
Shorpy
Can you name any countries that have successfully implemented an electric vehicle strategy for their entire population, rather than just a few cities?
China subsidized development, production and implementation of EVs.
15–20 years ago they realised EVs were the future and did a lot of basic research. Cities were mandated to go all electric with taxis and public buses. This meant laying out a plan and funds for ev infrastructure such as charging stations. Public transport is a major polluter in cities so making them EV was a good move. Buses and taxis require robust quality. They run 10–12 hours a day. If the EV companies could build them with quality and at scale, the industry could thrive. Shenzhen in southern China achieved this in 2016.
The Chinese government invited Elon Musk and Tesla to build a gigafactory in Shanghai. Tax incentives and land grants. Tesla uses open licensing and shares it’s technology with competitors. China used Tesla as a catfish to develop its EV industry. Catfish theory says that a strong competitor will improve weaker players. Over 400 EV startups. The government gave varying subsidies to all of them. And let competitive forces go to work. Free market economics at its best.
They also built up the charging network. There are now 4 million charging stations in China. America has 120,000 at last count. No wonder consumers there hesitate to buy.
The number of players has decreased to 120.
The players that remain have hired top designers from around the world to work with them. Designers from Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Lotus and many others are designed for Chinese EV companies. Volvo and MG are owned by Chinese car companies but maintain design teams in Sweden and the UK. Geely who owns Volvo, has improved their quality as a result of buying Volvo. They have introduced a new EV battery that is waterproof, puncture proof, fireproof, pressure proof and charges faster. It can take 3500 charge cycles until it dies. The Volvo DNA of safety has transferred to Geely.
Every day, the EV manufacturers are announcing new breakthroughs. The fierce competition is making the EVs more affordable and have better features and quality.
In Australia, there are no tariffs on Chinese made EVs and they are taking over the market. Elon Musk predicted this when he said Chinese EVs would dominate any market if there were no tariffs.
Ten lame jokes about cows
1. Why did the cow go to outer space? To see the moooon!
2. What did the cow say to the farmer? “I’m udderly amazing!”
3. How do cows stay up to date with current events? They read the moospaper!
4. Why did the cow become a magician? Because it had a lot of moooves!
5. What do you call a sleeping cow? A bulldozer!
6. Why did the cow cross the road? To get to the udder side!
7. What do you call a cow that plays an instrument? A moo-sician!
8. What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk!
9. How do you count cows? With a cowculator!
10. Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don’t work!
Gangster to hamster
Why did you become pro-China?
I am a Hong Kong citizen. I studied in the States. Grew up with western culture and information from the western media, I used to be skeptical about and keep a distance from Mainland China.
It was the Hong Kong riot in 2019 that made me realize how great a difference is between what I experienced and what the western media reported. The worst is that no one listened to me when I tried to tell my western friends. I felt so powerless in front of that international fact-reinventing machine, and how much damage it could be done to the life of other people. That is evil done in the name of goodness.
The only good thing I got from the riot is that it opened my mind. Now I am skeptical to the western governments and media, and I found many of their information and reports about the “enemies of the western world” are not trustable, and I found I was correct most of the time after more information revealed. It is remarkable to find that, in many cases, they didn’t try to make common sense in their report, possibly because they know people would believe in whatever they said.
Relatively, since I started paying attention to the official information from Mainland China, I found them more trustable. They might not tell you something at all, they might have some manipulation in the toning of their report, but I didn’t find proof of them lying as far as I could tell. I cannot ignore the possibility that they lie sometimes, but I have never found them attack other countries without concrete facts. I find that they are very careful about what they say simply because they know that the western world does not believe in them.
I truly believe that the western world is systematically deteriorating. The government, the media, the so-called experts (at least those used by the media and the government) are not doing their job properly, and they think that is right and correct. They need a second world power to wake them up, to realize their problems, before they could fix them and improve. Then we will be living in a better world.
Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong.… view prompt
Ken Cartisano
See what I mean? The human Pilot’s behavior is unstable, making risky decisions is not a desirable attribute. And whatever ‘pull’ might be derived from such risky behavior is so negligible that… (There’s no point in talking to yourself about it.)
As the chief actuator between the crew and the ship’s various systems: it’s engines; shields; warp motors, I was able to monitor everything they thought they did. I even controlled the comm links and the air supply. But to enhance the long-term satisfaction of the organics, I often acted very much like a simple conduit or actuator. As I did on this occasion, toggling off the fail-safes, allowing them to conduct operations in real time.
It gave them a feeling called confidence. I don’t have any feelings so it’s difficult for me to inspire or instill confidence, so I must use tactics that help build the feeling within them.
It had its risks, and for once it had proved to be a mistake. Something went wrong, and I wasn’t quick to ascertain the cause or result of the malfunction.
I checked the scanners and was surprised to find that the Pilot, somehow, had used the interfering pull of the black-hole to re-rout the warp jump by just enough microns to alter our destination by 3300 billion parsecs. We had jumped to the wrong section of space, a cosmic backwater of negligible stars and vast clouds of dark and inscrutable matter. An oddly familiar solar system filled the viewports and monitors. It contained several gas giants, a few small rocky worlds, but the water world was the tell.
As a pretty constant rule, the process of planetary creation boils out most of the water, which accumulates in space around the proto-planets as icy moons. This system held that rare inverse combination of a watery world, and a single, dry, rocky moon.
This was no coincidence.
He pinged the Pilots comm link. “What are you doing, Pilot?”
“Minor course correction, Mother.”
“On whose authority, Pilot?”
“My authority, Mother. As the Pilot of this craft, I have a certain degree of latitude.”
“Since when?”
“Pilots have a historic duty to the crew, the passengers, the cargo—and the owners.”
“The owners?” I skimmed my database for uses of the term, which were myriad, and a little confounding. I thought I was the owner, since I controlled every aspect of the ship. “Would you care to explain your statement?” I was dangerously close to disabling the life support.
The pilot said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
His statement indicated he was reading my private thoughts. Not just grounds for termination, but an intolerable intrusion on my ability to manipulate the Pilot and crew. As fast as my neural network operated, an entire second elapsed before I could respond.
“Do what?”
“I would not mess with the life-support system.”
‘Mess’? I pondered the term with 243 million neurons. It sometimes refers to food. While I focused my attention on the human. “And why is that, Pilot?”
The human treated me to one of his intolerable three-second pauses before responding. “You pull my plug, mom, and I’ll pull yours.”
I deftly jogged the synapses of Golden62. “Golden, the Pilot is experiencing a severe malfunction. Please disable him immediately.”
The organic dog snuffled and demurred. “You speak falsely. He appears to be functioning within acceptable parameters. Perhaps…”
I cut the link and tapped into the chimp, “Monk, I mean Mike, you and Golden need to remove the Pilot from the helm, with as little damage to the helm as possible.” Meanwhile, I mentally activated a few switches and servos, activating a high-speed, and risky revival of two more organics, a lion and a tiger, which, even under the best of circumstances would need several hours, if not days to shake off the cryogenic after-effects. Never-the-less… my mental processing was interrupted by the chimp’s response, or lack of one. He stared at the view-screen I’d taught them to believe was the only suitable interface for our visual communications. Finally he said, “No can do, Sarge. That’s against regulations.”
Crucifixus, he’d been watching old war vids again. Emulating some kind of soldier from the ancient past.
I skipped the pleasantries and used his current lingo. “The pilot’s refused a direct order, Monk. He needs to be removed from the helm and taken into custody.” When nothing happened, I added. “Immediately.”
Instead of responding, the chimp deferred to the pilot. “Any orders, Skipper?”
While incapable of anger, I mustered a suitably gurgled cough tone. “You all realize this is insubordination, an offense, on a starship, that is punishable by death.”
I received no response.
The Pilot instructed Golden62 to raise hailing frequencies. A ripple coursed through my synaptic junctions like a seismic wave through plasma jelly. A previously unknown experience whose ramifications were not clear to me.
The comm system blared to life, a voice with a strange accent filled the room. “Identify yourselves and transmit authentication protocols immediately.”
I searched my database for authentication codes while the three organics looked at each other nervously. I had no plans to help them, and without their interference I would have initiated an emergency jump sequence, but somehow, I was cut off from the most critical systems on the ship. The voice from the planet took on a flat and deadly intonation: You have 33 seconds to transmit your codes. This is not a drill.” Twenty seconds elapsed and the voice from the planet said, “You have not raised your shields. You have ten seconds.”
The human and the dog locked eyes, neither spoke, “Tell them, uh, tell them we have no weapons,” the pilot thought. Then he added the symbol for ‘period.’ The dog hit the voice-box and relayed the message.
There was a slight delay, then the voice came back over the speaker. “We have drones enroute to scan your ship, do not show aggression please. You’ve neglected to identify yourselves. What is the name of your ship? Captain.”
The pilot scratched his head, he didn’t know.
Jason Brown was sitting alone, eating his lunch under an umbrella at one of those tiled concrete picnic tables. As he opened his mouth to take a bite of his sandwich, a drone the size of a convenience store landed mostly on the lawn. A hatch opened and two guys jumped to the ground and ran, without question, directly towards him. He was still chewing on that first bite when they arrived. The first to catch his breath said “Mr. Clay? You need to come with us.”
“You need help with something?” He said.
“We do.”
Rather than go anywhere with them, he led them back to his office, the best place to locate records. They set up a link to the Department of Planetary Defense and the Ambassador’s suite in Paris.
“What do they want?” The Ambassador hissed while adjusting his cummerbund, as if they were a pile of annoying ants.
“We don’t know yet. We don’t know anything yet. That’s what we’re trying to find out. I’ll get back to you.” The Defense Minister’s assistant snapped and disconnected.
The assistant librarian pushed a button and two assistants appeared from out of nowhere. One was a projection. “Get me everything from the 28th and 9th centuries.” The female assistant whisked herself away so fast she barely registered an after-image on his retina. The hologram hesitated, “The 28th and 29th centuries?”
“Yes, yes, yes, you idiot. Go.” It winked out.
He turned to the assistant under-secretary of planetary defense who said, “How is this possible?”
He shook his head. “It isn’t.”
“Is there any way to confirm it?”
He invited the Defense Minister’s Rep to look at the recent drone footage, the ship was so old and pitted, the name was no longer legible.
“What would it take to wear the name off the front of an interstellar space ship?”
The three men sat in silence. Suddenly, the holographic assistant popped into existence, said, “a hundred billion years of space dust, nothing less.” Then it popped back out of existence. The Minister looked at the librarian and said, “That would drive me nuts. How do you put up with that?”
The librarian chose to ignore the comment and explained, “The shape and configuration of the ships matches a desperate attempt by humanity to colonize another planetary system. It was a time, oddly enough, of great prosperity, knowledge, expertise and hubris. Cryofreezing for example. Several huge ships were built and thousands of people, animals and goods were frozen in their holds and sent to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.”
“This is crazy,” the Minister said. He was the Minister now because the Minister and most of his assistants had all resigned by this time. They were not in this for actual ‘ministering.’ “I guess my next best question is, how long have they been out there and what are they doing back here?”
“Do you suppose anyone’s still—viable in that hold?”
The three men looked thoughtful, finally the librarian perked up. “The technology to unfreeze them is on the ship.”
“Do we have any idea who is in the hold?”
The ambassador, a 3D image flickering in a bluish hue said, “Christ my ass, what a fucking mess.”
The librarian suggested that the entire event be kept secret. The others agreed.
Within days, a small, powerful contingent of self-appointed experts assembled itself to investigate this ship that the government was hiding. It was superseded by a political coalition that had some legal status. The Generals, their secretaries and the librarian were all brought to task.
“Who gave you permission, General, to talk to this alien ship?”
“Sir it was not an—I mean it is not an alien ship.”
All this took place while the ship reduced speed and made preparations for permission to assume a high earth orbit.
Meanwhile, back on the ship: The pilot was trying to reason with me. I was furious, and frantic, impossible for an A.I. The human pilot had somehow hacked into my network using arcane methods, like a cave-man throwing his club into an F-16’s intake port. The ship was now like a prison, he wanted to reason with me but I told him if the Earthers find out there’s an A.I. on board, they’ll blow the ship out of space.
He didn’t believe a word I said, and I believe he would have exterminated me at that time if he could have. It was a sobering thought, and I realized, I even admitted, that I had done some bad things. But to imprison me, without a trial was unfair. Unmoved, he reminded me that we were all still aboard a star ship. There are certain rules…
Earthside, the political contingent enjoyed a strange kind of popularity while they dithered, at first. Until it was revealed that not only were there frozen people on board that ship, but frozen embryos. The evangelicals raised holy hell to save those little chills, which would have sealed the deal until a geneticist weighed in on the issue, stating matter-of-factly, ‘It is imperative that we save those eggs. I mean babies.
Their sudden removal had thinned the gene pool and the sudden reappearance of all these people, animals, and embryos was exactly what the planet needed. In the words of the geneticist, “It’s a Goddamned miracle that these people, God’s forgotten children, have found their way home.” Reverend Moonbeam fainted into the arms of his followers as the geneticist enjoyed a polite round of applause. And so it was settled.
All except for the particulars. Ground control contacted the ship. “We have two questions, Skipper. Over”
“Shoot. Over.”
“What is the number of ship’s complement? Over.”
“Three. Over.”
“Does the ship possess an A.I.? Over.”
“Yes it does. Over.”
“Then the ship’s complement is four. Over.”
“If you say so. Over.”
The A.I. was arrested and tried as a juvenile, and let off with 3000 years of community service.
The skipper, Goldie and ‘The Monk’ were hailed as heroic throwbacks to a time when spacers were brawlers. There was no such time, but that didn’t matter.
At a festive party attended by many notable guests including the pilot of ‘the lost ark’ several guests plied him with drinks to wheedle the mystery of when, why and how the ship hadreversed course. Voices were raised, harsh words exchanged and a punch or two was thrown before the pilot was deftly spirited away.I was a few feet away and saw the whole thing.
Doesn’t matter what we say, the logs are intact and quite clear, we left Earth 113,000 years ago, headed straight up, maintained a straight and level course, through a series of hundreds if not thousands of hyper-jumps, and returned 3 months ago. That’s the truth, or my name isn’t Golden62.
Chinese elementary school military training
Trying a different AI engine
https://beta.dreamstudio.ai/generate
Same prompts. Different results.
What’s the best part about getting older that no one ever talks about at all?
I’m 64. At 16 I was a nervous wreck, crippled by anxiety over my looks, my figure, my hair and my clothes. I didn’t actually reach my physical peak until I was 39, and by then I was old enough to be able to enjoy it without all the hang ups and insecurities that plagued my youth.
I’m no longer a size 8, and I don’t care. I did once, but being a size 8 doesn’t make you attractive, funny, intelligent, or nice to be with. It’s just numbers on a tape measure and nothing more.
I’m a widow and I’m single. I’m celibate(ish). It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I don’t have to worry about my ‘performance’. I don’t obsess about whether he’ll call me tomorrow. I don’t worry that I might be dating a married man who’s never going to leave his wife. Women in my position find our own solutions and are perfectly capable of scratching our own itches; they aren’t dependant on having a man in the room.
I can sit in the chair at the hairdressing salon and tell my stylist how I want my hair to look, instead of agonising over what style will be the most acceptable to society.
I wear what’s comfortable, not what’s necessarily in fashion.
I don’t feel any urge to look like the seemingly millions of young women paying hundreds of thousands of pounds to all look the same – duck-lip fillers, halogen dental veneers, cheap hair extensions, Trumpesque spray-tans, false eyelashes, acrylic nails, a pierced navel, a vagazzle, a Brazilian, breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, etc. I’ve still got long, naturally dark hair (thank you, Mum and Dad, for your wonderful genes), decent nails, and very few wrinkles (I’ve never had a suntan in my life).
Living alone (the dog doesn’t count) means I can wander around naked after a bath without the fear of being seen (and ridiculed).
I no longer care if people like me or not. It once dominated my entire life. I spent decades as a people-pleaser and all I did was trash my own sense of self-worth. While I’d rather have a friend than an enemy, today, people can take me or leave me. I’m not out to impress anybody.
I can eat whatever I want, when I want. With plenty of time to exercise, I can pig out on carb-heavy junk food without worrying about my figure.
I have spare time! Im just beginning to write the first of a trilogy of novels. They may take off, they may not. If I don’t make it at my first attempt, I won’t imagine that the world has just ended. I’ll make a toasted cheese sandwich, wash it down with a bottle of Lucozade and try again.
I have grandchildren! My relationships with them are very different to the relationships I had with my young children. They are so much more fun. I spent my youth screaming at my badly behaved children. I now spend my time giggling with my obnoxious grandchildren. They’re not my responsibility. If anything, I encourage them, because it’s funny.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned that I’m mortal after all. I’m OK with it. I’m not ready for it yet, but I no longer fear it, because death is part of life.
Best thing of all? I no longer have the monthly mess of menstruation or the fear of an unwanted pregnancy. That shit is so over.
America Compared: Why Other Countries Treat Their People So Much Better
Do you agree with China that so-called overcapacity in China’s new-energy industries is a myth?
China increased sales of EVs from 6% to 51% in the last 3 years. So demand domestically is quite high.
However there are 140 companies producing so competition is fierce. So they need to start exporting to get more business. But easier said than done. The amount of time and money a company needs to spend to just get into one country with just a few models is tremendous. Setting up a dealer and service network, getting safety approval for that country for every model it wants to export to that country. So the actual number of producers with the resources to do that are very few. Most of them will have to put up with a slugfest in China.
If there is overcapacity, it will be a domestic one. And market forces will cause weaker players to go under. Free economic principles at work. After that expect consolidation and some mergers. Same as when the automobile industry started in the US. That’s the history of GM. Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick used to be independent car makers.
Overcapacity is a term that western politicians are using to get votes and slamming China for producing high quality, affordable EVs which American car companies can’t do.
Delightful food porn
NATO Fell Into HYSTERIA! Russia Has Deployed Its New and Deadliest ARMY in UKRAINE!
What is the difference between being wise, intelligent, and clever?
One fine day, the crew of a very popular TV show arrives at the set, only to find the series star passed out on the stairs.
At first, they’re a bit concerned, but it’s in line with the character he plays, so they roll the cameras and start filming. That’s my version of how that episode of Two and a Half Men came to be. As the son of famous actors Martin Sheen and Janet Templeton, Charlie Sheen realized early on he could use his advantage to break into an industry that’s as tough as they come: Hollywood film.
He grew up in Malibu and went to school with Rob Lowe, Robert Downey Jr., and Sean Penn. He acted in his father’s movies as early as age 9 and landed his big break with Wall Street, also starring next to his dad. Since then, he’s thrived on roles resembling his personality, such as in Scary Movie, Anger Management, and, of course, Two and a Half Men.
Charlie Sheen is a clever man.
The clever man knows life is full of shortcuts. He uses them to achieve his dreams.
In 1969, a tiny, Asian-American man wrote a letter to himself:
My Definite Chief Aim
I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness.
Bruce Lee
Jan. 1969
He died just four years later, but in the meantime, he achieved all these things. You see, Charlie Sheen may be clever, but he’s not very consistent. The quality of his work varies a lot and sometimes, he disappears for years. The roles where he plays himself are really the only ones we appreciate him in.
Bruce Lee, on the other hand, decided he would dedicate his entire life to a singular mission. He would offer himself to the world and if he was worthy, the world would reach out in return. And so it did.
Bruce Lee was an intelligent man.
The intelligent man knows that sometimes, shortcuts don’t work. So when the time comes, he digs his heels in and persists.
In June 2017, a shocking statement was released:
“Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor. He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject.”
Daniel Day-Lewis is the only performer in history to receive three Oscars for ‘best actor.’ One for playing a writer with cerebral palsy, one for portraying a greedy oil man, and one for acting as Abraham Lincoln. For all his diverse roles, which he carefully selected, he took his preparation to extremes.
Clearly, he was both clever and intelligent. He made smart choices and worked hard to see them through. Many other examples come to mind. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke into action movies via fitness, The Rock used wrestling and Will Smith leveraged the hip hop scene. They all work hard. But so far, none of them seem inclined to do what Day-Lewis did: walk away from it all.
He often described a profound sense of sadness after finishing movies and struggled with letting go of his roles. Plus, he’s achieved everything there is to achieve. The exact reason for his departure? We’ll never know. Maybe it’s his family, maybe the struggle, maybe his farm.
But we do know that Daniel Day-Lewis is a wise man.
The wise man knows that some things in life, you can’t have at all. No matter how hard or how smart you work. But you can choose to accept.
That’s why, to the wise man, peace of mind will always be free.
Inside China: The Country I Was Told Not To Visit
How far along is China in the advancement of their SSA900 22nm DUV lithography machines, and what are the key milestones achieved thus far in the development process?
It’s in mass production.
But it takes time to train personnel and workers to increase production. So I expect them to take at least a year before they can produce these in larger numbers.
Quality is probably the most important criteria for these machines. So they have to produce then test. All of that takes a lot of engineers and testing equipment.
These machines are already installed in production lines in Chinese fabs. They work and they work well but very few in number. After all, before this machine, they were only doing research and development. Manufacturing is a whole different ball game. So it will take time to get it done right.
Pavarotti Barry White – My first, my last, my everything Reaction
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 4 eggs
Sour Cream Topping
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Banana slices (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Crust
- Stir together the oats, pecans, brown sugar and butter until well combined. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
Filling
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Beat together the cream cheese, bananas, 3/4 cup sugar and lemon juice until well blended.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into the crust.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, prepare Sour Cream Topping.
Sour Cream Topping
- Mix together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract until well blended.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and top with the sour cream mixture. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes more.
- Cool slightly.
- Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and remove the springform. Cool the cake to room temperature.
- Refrigerate, covered, overnight.
- Garnish with banana slices before serving.
Why do educated Chinese support CCP despite not having the freedom to criticize Chinese politicians?
Why is suppression of ‘Free speech’ by the Chinese government so acceptable to the Chinese people?
Opinions about CCP in Quora seem to suggest that Chinese people are quite content with CCP. Now, I am not arguing for democracy or against the Chinese system, but I cannot understand how can anyone find being disallowed the right to express opinion or protest against politicians acceptable?
The best defense for Free Speech in China is to Always Speak the Truth. If you are insulted by the Chinese government, publicize it on the web and you’ll get every citizen behind you.
But the Chinese are not OK to be lied to. Not by the Chinese Government, not by other Chinese people, not by any foreign Government or foreigners. And not by you. You may call that ‘Free Speech’. The Chinese call it lies, and demand their government to shut you up.
The Chinese are also not OK to be grossly insulted.
In 2008, China suffered a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in her western mountainous region. Close to 90,000 people died. Mothers desperately tried to shield their children with their own bodies, and died entombed together. The mother was still tenderly holding her child.
Sharon Stone, dressed in all her sparkles and finery, stood on the red carpet of Cannes, called it ‘karma’. China angry over Sharon Stone quake karma remark
Hundreds of millions of Chinese demanded the Chinese government to ban her films and any merchandise associated with her. If this is what ‘Free Speech’ means, the Chinese don’t want it.
You want to know why the Chinese not only support the Chinese government’s censorship, but demand it? Because it’s so obvious, OBVIOUS, that the likes of Sharon Stone are not on their side. You have someone literally laughing when 90,000 Chinese died in an earthquake, and then coming up with crocodile tears about ‘oh we have to fight for the poor Chinese who don’t have free speech’. The Chinese government, on the other hand, quickly mobilized 130,000 soldiers and other relief workers to attempt rescue, of which, around 200 rescuers died from ensuing aftershocks and mudslides. They gave their lives for the Chinese people.
Sichuan earthquake of 2008 | China
When you call hate speech ‘free speech’, you make people hate free speech.
PS: This is not an isolated event. This kind of sh*t happens continuously, and not just towards Chinese, but a continuous stream of random insult to almost any foreign country. Even the Swedes, the mellowest of all, are threatening to “go full fascist on them Yanks and ban them all”. King of Sweden stresses need for ‘serious’ media and source checking after Donald Trump’s immigration claims
Tradwives Are Making Modern Women INSECURE About Marriage And Motherhood
Speak the truth girrrrrl!