theFu comments

When jeans wear out, they can be made into nice, thick, large, picnic blankets so you don't have to sit on the grass with the insects.

In winter, I wear jeans almost every day, if leaving the house. In summer, it is shorts. Generally, I wear a suit for funerals and weddings, only, so about once every 5 yrs.

I used to have a job that required a coat, tie, slacks. Ended that in the 1990s. I still have those expensive wool slacks and some day I'll fit into them again .... someday.

I must say, I'm shocked at how expensive Levi's are outside the USA. Think the most I've ever paid is $45 and that was because I couldn't wait for a sale. Usually they are under $25. Seeing them for $120+ when traveling makes me think I should bring some with me to create a fund for trip alcohol by selling them. Levi's last for a decade, at least. Just be careful to look over the quality of the stitching. The last 20 yrs, Levi quality has really become hit-or-miss.

Haven't worn any other brand of jeans since I was about 12 yrs old. Jeans are part of the casual dress here. Put on a nice shirt and a sports coat and you can go almost anywhere, assuming your shoes are nice enough.

Levi's are heavier than other brands, so they aren't as comfortable in warmer climates. Wangler and Lee are the other main US brands that use lighter denim for more comfort. I know a bunch of pseud-cowboys who only wear Wranglers. Think Lee and Wrangler are owned by the same parent company.

Ask everyone in China, which type of society they'd prefer - the CCP or what Taiwan provides to their citizens. If the Chinese citizens are provided all the information, truthfully, who wouldn't want what Taiwan has? They routinely rank very high on the freedom index with only a few other countries of the ~200 that exist higher.

The criteria are: The 12 Categories of the Human Freedom Index:

Rule of Law Security and Safety Movement Religion Association, Assembly, and Civil Society Expression and Information Identity and Relationships Size of Government Legal System and Property Rights Access to Sound Money Freedom to Trade Internationally Regulation

China is ranked 150, tied with Chad. They are in the bottom 25% of the list. When I think of economic and personal freedom, I don't think of them. Taiwan and Japan are about the same in their freedom scores. Any in the top 25% are fairly nice countries.

Ever noticed how Taiwan is treated like a separate country in almost all ways, except those tied to the UN? In reality, Taiwan is a separate country. Only mainland China seems confused about it.

Another tantrum from the CCP.

Their goal seems to be to shift any attention from problems inside China. Look at the Xi new train station. Largest in Asia. surrounded by 3m+ of water. China, the country of facades. Guess the contractor didn't build any real drainage pipes there either, just put on the grates to make it appear there was drainage. Typical.

And don't try to say China wants to invade everyone as that's baloney.

Ask India, Nepal, Tibet, Taiwan, and the Philippines about China's invasions. Bet they would disagree.

Some people here seem to have forgotten this is about defensive, intercepting missiles, not offensive missiles. I have no issue with any country having purely defensive weapons like these.

Missile interceptors are defensive. These already exist with some really impressive methods to get very close and spray metal to destroy the offensive missile. I think the key here is that Japan gets to work on defensive military projects.

Raytheon already has hypersonic missile interceptors, so I see little upside for their involvement. Successful tests happened against ICBM re-entry years ago. Improvements have been happening by Raytheon all this time. The newer, lower flying hypersonic missiles just have a different trajectory that could be harder to predict, but it isn't THAT hard if the offensive missile ignores complex countermeasures like they have historically.

LTV isn't in business, bought by Loral in the early 1990s. LTV created the ASAT launched by F-15s to take out satellites in orbit. LTV used fast spinning charges to control trajectory of their missiles in the late 1980s. They'd solved the "which way is this radial charge pointing" problem and were able to turn direction very quickly until all the radial charges on the nose and tail were fired.

Loral was bought by Lockheed-Martin in the mid-1990s, just after they gave-away/allowed-to-be-stolen some satellite tech to the CCP-Chinese (thanks for approving that Prez Clinton). Gotta wonder what else the CCP stolen when the Loral satellite was destroyed at launch?

Watched the Eng v Col match yesterday. There ball handling and passing were far beyond what the "favorites" have ever shown. It was a clinic for everyone in the US to behold. Even with the low score, it was fun to watch. That first goal by Columbia was perfect; upper, corner, no defense possible.

Also recorded the Sweden match, but due to human stupidity (mine), deleted the file before watching. ;(

China has been told millions of times how foolish these tantrums make them appear to the world, yet they keep doing it? It is a joke at this point. Xi needs to be worried more about the epic flooding which is a "sign from god" to normal Chinese that the CCP leaders and hopefully the entire CCP, need to be replaced.

As long as the govts stay out of it, let the people interact and learn directly from each other. That's a good thing. I have no plans to visit China again, but I do want to go to Taiwan. Seems like an amazing country.

There are some totally uninformed and insensitive readers of this article. Perhaps a terminal illness will bring them around?

While I wouldn't wish an early death on almost anyone (perhaps certain dictators and multiple murderers, I know what it is like to see a loved on dying. Doctors do all they can and are always hopeful. They have someone to try the stuff known to work, then the stuff that is experimental on. So often, some doctors loose track of "quality of life" in their consideration.

My father had terminal cancer. For the last 3 months of his life, there was no doubt he was going to die and we knew about 3 weeks before the 3 days when he'd actually be gone. There was no reason he needed to be alive that last 3 weeks. He'd said all his goodbyes and was just waiting to die. Helping him end his life would have been a great kindness.

@Sal Affist -- there's a point where someone in need will hopefully get aid even with all the graft at the top. 50% of the US citizens would do anything to save a human life, regardless of the outcome and middlemen. They are called "bleeding heart liberals" for a reason. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, just the way things are. Some people have more compassion than sense and other people have more hatred than compassion. Hopefully, they mix together in the political decisions and we get the best, compassionate, but not stupid, solutions.

Who am I kidding? We'd never be so lucky.

Looking forward to the day when there is finally a cure for cancer.

Cancer isn't a single disease. There will be no single "cure". There are many different types, each will likely need a different treatment.

Flooding like this leaves behind nasty diseases ... and a smell that gets into everything. NK should concentrate on specific priorities with humans at the top of the list. Then work down the basic, human, needs, for the next priorities. Food, animals related to food and food production would be high on that priority list too.

With their huge army, NK should have plenty of manpower. Since China is also greatly impacted, I hope any aid can get sent to NK to save human lives. Previously, when outsiders have offered, it was refused. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-dismisses-us-humanitarian-aid-sinister-scheme-2021-07-12/ Same from SK aid. Refused.

Russia needs some misdirection for the home crowd so they aren't constantly shown the poor performance of Putin's folly in Ukraine. Space for peaceful uses is always good for the home audience. Uplifting. Interesting. And a distraction from their daily lives of funerals.

It's a shame that this standard doesn't apply to all.

It apples where it is necessary.

The Chinese record of storms and flooding say these are the worst floods in Chinese history. That's fact. There have been floods before. They were not this bad. There have been storms before. Not this bad. The CCP leaders are worried because many Chinese consider flooding a sign from god that leadership needs to change. It is superstition, but it would be good for China.

Many people live there. We should send aid. We should send as much aid as China sends to places as long as they continue aggressive behavior with their neighbors.

If you've never been though a flood that lasted weeks, you have no idea. The water needs to go somewhere. Waiting for it to evaporate isn't a viable option. Controlling flood waters needs to be engineered years in advance and validated to ensure it actually works the way you believe or the models show. Modeling only does so much.

Massive storms ARE more frequent and more intense. https://www.undrr.org/publication/human-cost-disasters-overview-last-20-years-2000-2019 That's the United Nations.

UNDRR report published to mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on October 13, 2020, confirms how extreme weather events have come to dominate the disaster landscape in the 21st century. Need more proof? In the period 2000 to 2019, there were 7,348 major recorded disaster events claiming 1.23 million lives, affecting 4.2 billion people (many on more than one occasion) resulting in approximately US$2.97 trillion in global economic losses. This is a sharp increase over the previous twenty years. Between 1980 and 1999, 4,212 disasters were linked to natural hazards worldwide claiming approximately 1.19 million lives and affecting 3.25 billion people resulting in approximately US$1.63 trillion in economic losses.

Basically more than double the events, double the costs, and double the number of people impacted between the most recent 20 yrs and the 20 yrs prior to that period.

Why do people insist on making false claims that just show ignorance?

There are solutions that companies use to create virtual mesh networks that traverse across nearly all networks and only allow specific connections between pre-approved devices. Those devices can be on the internet, inside a home-office, or some mix of that. Also, a separate network can allow the corporate LANs to be virtually meshed together based on the needs of an application, not physical location. Of course, there are paid solutions for this, but the free ones work most of the time very nicely as well. In short, it is like having a VPN between each system as needed, regardless of system location.

How do I say this nicely. SONY's IT security past is not the best. Creating consumer electronics isn't the same as building secure systems.

It threw common sense out the window.

That's what I remember.

US companies couldn't do this themselves for the last 20+ yrs, they were required by shareholders to seek out partners in China to give all their intellectual property.

The companies have wanted the govt to place limits, to stop them and prevent shareholders from have a reason to oust the CxO and Board members who didn't look to China for less expensive imports and manufacturing. The US Congress wasn't behaving like an adult either - no laws on this. Biden is doing the right thing. Leveling the field, at least for US companies. Now they can seek other partners for cheaper manufacturing without being forced to turn over all the company secrets like China requires.

Little things like sealing the cracks around doors, windows and into the unfinished parts of a house can make a big different. Spend a few weekends replacing caulk inside and outside. For larger gaps, use some expansion foam.

Insulation and HVAC efficiency matter.

Efficiency of HVAC equipment has improved silently by about 30% in the last 15 yrs, at least in the USA. In 2000, required SEAR was 10. In 2006, required SEAR was 13. In 2015, required SEAR was split into different requirements by region. In "the south", it is now SEAR 14.

There are also insulation standards for all new construction. Insulation becomes less efficient over time as it becomes more dense due to gravity (I guess), so it is common to add more insulation over the existing levels.

Last Xmas, I had some pipes burst which took out about 25% of the insulation for the house along with a small wall. Heating bills doubled for a few months. Fortunately, new walls, insulation and a ceiling were completed before summer. The finishing work is almost completed now, just a few minor things remain. 8.5 months to get things fixed. I'm not certain that the new insulation is any better than the old stuff, but the cooling costs have been less this summer. The A/C for upstairs was new in 2009, SEAR 13. Wish I would have gotten a little higher efficiency. It is noticeably cheaper to run that A/C than the downstairs SEAR 10 one.

I suppose SEAR is a US-only rating?

We are still 40+ yrs away from practical uses. I won't be around to see fusion power on the grid, but hopefully by kids and grandkids will.

Fusion for power won't explode. Is that hard to understand?

Now, if the output is beyond all required input point AND the input power is less than 10% of the total power output, then I'll be impressed.

The first thing they need to do is to have a clear way for humans to know if they are communicating (phone, text, chat, email, whatever) with AI and provide a way to opt-out. Same for automated, "expert systems". We've all had bad experiences with these time wasting tools. Of course, sometimes, these tools can answer very simple queries correctly too.

My company decided not to work in Massachusetts a few years ago due to their mandated cyber-security laws. The laws required certain things of private companies, but didn't require the govt to follow the same laws. Unacceptable. If the govt can't follow the same law, it is a bad law.

Canada makes law that says big tech must pay to use other people's work. I agree. Big Tech decides NOT to use other people's work. I agree.

Canada is unhappy that companies who aren't in the news business choose not to pay for news. Oh well.

I've always said, anyone who gets their news from the social media is foolish.

While we didn't have extreme temperatures here, on average, it was the hottest month on record because there were more days consistently just a little hotter. OTOH, at night, it is still dropping into the upper 60s (~ 19.8 °C), which would be comfortable if the dew point wasn't so high. Last night was 18.7 °C here, but still humid.

Whatever we want to call it, the climate it changing and there are huge ramifications world-wide for that. It is easiest to see in the far north and far south latitudes, but the changes are all around us in the middle as well.

Seal level rises of just a few meters will impact well over 50% of humans. Trillions will be spent to hold the oceans back around population centers. Barrier islands will be shifted or disappear. Many island countries will lose a bunch of their current land.

Species that are barely holding on in their current places will disappear. They don't migrate. Other species will drastically change behavior because they need a certain level and length of cold for their annual lives.

While wealthy humans CAN move somewhere else, much of the planet isn't wealthy and people there will be stuck. As the things they eat disappear, they will need to change what they grow and eat BEFORE the climate differences cause local famines. You don't need to believe me. France has been seeing their wine production shift northward for decades. It is too hot in southern France to create the best grapes. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wine-industry-climate-change-60-minutes-2021-12-26/ Almost every food-related industry has a similar story. And the geniuses in the SW USA who can't seem to share the western Colorado River (there is one that flows east through Texas too), need to pull their heads out and figure out a solution. Utah, Nevada, NM, California all need to learn to share for the good of the country, not their local fiefdoms.

Good to see all the pro-Russian people here providing excellent suggestions for a real, lasting, peace. Er ... perhaps not. Any peace negotiation that doesn't have Russians leaving Ukraine from before the 2014 invasion, is a non-starter. Ukraine is a separate country and cannot be annexed. Any Ukrainians are free to relocated into Russia, if that's their wish. I know about few who have - high profile people in sports. I didn't understand why, but it was their choice.

Coast guard vessels aren't any joke, regardless of the nation. They have weapons that would tear up other ships. They aren't Navy vessels, but they are still potent.

Filipinos have reconnected with the US with their new President after the last guy was thrown out.

Another day, another hostile act by China.

Yep. Seems like their military should be trying to help China with their massive flood cleanup instead of harassing neighbors.

deanzaZZR ... for the largest flood in Chinese history the news should be covered with it 24/7. Providing a link to a state-propaganda channel isn't exactly a good news source. The examples shown are to minimize the true flooding levels. Seeing aid workers on sunny, non-flooded streets isn't the reality. The army carrying supplies to villages is good. No denying that.

Where are all the bridges over rivers that have been washed away? They show 2 in that story. There are areas in Beijing with 2-6 meters of water.

I've seen videos of the "army rescue operations". They showed some people being rescued off a roof, while 2 people were on the street below in ankle deep water, watching. Why don't they show the thousands of others who are trapped and buildings filling with flood waters? It is careful propaganda. Show a little bad stuff, but not all of it. Censor the millions of videos being put online showing flooding of national sites, like Tienanmen Square. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LbLXRtGoDg

Why does every story have to include what Xi thinks about it? In the past, when god brought floods onto China, it was reason for a change of leadership.

China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu responded that China has "indisputable" sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters, including the Second Thomas Shoal.

But it has been disputed AND ruled by an internationally recognized tribunal. Chine isn't the owner. Speaking lies about claims doesn't make them true. Eventually, a Chinese ship will "disappear" near Philippine owned islands. Then everyone else in the world will deny knowing anything about it. That's where China is headed.

We do see that Russia paid trolls https://time.com/4457110/internet-trolls/ has been told to agree with Chinese expansion efforts. There is no shame, as long as they can cover it up or twist their actions through censorship back home. I remember when Russians were honorable. I hope some still are and that they gain power. The age of liars needs to end.

Videos of Beijing flooding. https://youtu.be/SKimlKo6C5Y 3 ft of water in Tienanmen Square. Tofu construction failures.

The CCP is covering up bridge failures in Beijing and elsewhere. Not just online, but blocking views by people in the area. Chinese govt priority was to sensor the bridge locations and setup barrier shields to prevent videos. The video shows rescue workers, not rescuing anybody, but setting up barriers instead.

Chinese newspapers ignore the flooding. which are the worst flooding in Chinese history, in-the-capitol-city! They downplay everything, if there is any coverage.

They don't show the Chinese submarine washed up on the shore from the flooding either.

When will the CCP actually tell the truth?

If they admit to thousands, it must be REALLY bad and probably 10x more. Sadly, to the CCP, life is cheap. Just another way to control population.

This is the perfect opportunity for socialism with Chinese characteristics to show the world how great it is. They have a huge army. Put them to work with disaster response, not bullying Chinese and other countries like Taiwan.