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Mystery in the Sky: Chinese Spy Balloon Spotted Hovering Over Montana by the Pentagon

WOW! The Pentagon just dropped a bomb – they detected a Chinese spy balloon hovering over Montana! Just days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping, the US government has put China on notice with this sudden discovery. Although President Biden decided not to shoot down the balloon after a recommendation from the Pentagon, the decision to publicize the find is sure to escalate tensions between the two superpowers.

Apparently, this isn’t the first time China has sent spy balloons to the US, but this one has been lingering for longer. However, according to anonymous senior administration officials, the balloon doesn’t pose a military or physical threat and has limited value for intelligence gathering. The Pentagon and Canada’s Department of National Defense are actively tracking the balloon and taking measures to protect sensitive information from foreign threats.

So, what was China looking for in Montana? The state is home to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of three US Air Force bases that operates intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Pentagon sent F-22 fighter jets to track the balloon, but ultimately decided against shooting it down. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III even called a meeting with senior military and defense officials to handle the situation.

Tensions between the US and China have been on the rise, and this discovery just adds fuel to the fire. But, according to Michael P. Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, the spy balloon “did not provide anything that ‘other’ Chinese collections did not already provide them.” Looks like this was just a routine spy mission by China, who has a history of monitoring American diplomatic missions. But with the US government’s quick response, they’re sending a message that they’re not backing down.

 

Glass Onion

‘Glass Onion’ movie Reveals shocking facts about Musk, Ye and Trump

If you’re interested in “eating the rich,” the past few years have provided a veritable big-screen buffet.

This year alone, there have been films that satirize influencer culture (Triangle of Sadness), phony relationships among rich kids (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) and fine dining itself (The Menu).

The wealthy people depicted in these films are awful in all of the by-now-expected ways: They’re selfish; they mistreat anyone outside of their milieu without a second thought; they wreak havoc on everything and everyone in their vicinity.

The other significant entrant into this quickly growing canon came this year in the form of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Rian Johnson’s sequel to 2019’s Knives Out. In the original movie, the crafty detective with a flair for the dramatic, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), solves the murder of wealthy mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer).

In Glass Onion, Blanc is back when a murder mystery game on an island quickly turns deadly. Johnson also adds a new dynamic to the satire: The rich are not only evil; many of them are preternaturally stupid, their legitimacy propped up only by the deference of those around them. The result is an allegory for all of us living with the omnipresent Elon Musk, Donald Trump and Jeff Bezos. (Warning: spoilers ahead).

The film begins with a group of old friends — a politician (Claire Debella; played by Kathryn Hahn), a half-canceled model (Birdie Jay; Kate Hudson) and her assistant (Peg; Jessica Henwick), a men’s rights internet personality (Duke Cody; Dave Bautista) and his girlfriend (Whiskey; Madelyn Cline), a scientist (Lionel Touissaint; Leslie Odom Jr.) who works for a tech billionaire (Miles Bron; Edward Norton) and Bron’s former business partner (Andi Brand; Janelle Monáe) — receiving a mysterious, beautifully designed package from Bron at each of their homes. The package also comes to Blanc, who’s never met the group.

All of these people have known Bron for years, and many of them quickly make reference to his brilliance while solving puzzles inside the package, which ultimately reveal an invitation to his private island in Greece for a murder mystery party. They travel to the island ostensibly to solve the (fake) murder of Bron himself. But after Blanc instantly figures out the game, a real murder happens on the island. Cody is poisoned and dies.

Then, a twist: In a flashback, we learn that Brand is already dead, and her murder will soon be reported. The “Andi Brand” on the island is her twin sister Helen, who has hired Blanc to solve the murder. After some running around the house and an attempt on Helen’s life, Blanc brings everyone together and declares his findings: It was Bron who murdered Andi and Cody, the former because she knew a new invention of his was dangerous and she had information that could allow her to take back his company; the latter because he’s the only one who saw Bron leaving Andi’s house after committing the murder. Sometimes, as Blanc’s character explains, the simplest answer is the truth.

Blanc admits that he began to suspect that Bron was not all that he seemed when the billionaire immediately began to misuse phrases, mispronounce words and farm out any creative or original tasks to someone else, both in devising the fake murder mystery (he hired Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn to write it) and coming up with a plan to confuse the guests by turning off the lights (Blanc himself references “turning out the lights” to Bron at another point in the film).

According to Blanc’s reveal, this lack of originality and smarts is proof of Bron’s motivation: to conceal the extent to which others, especially Andi, are responsible for his company’s successes.

For the viewer, Bron’s dimness comes as a legitimate surprise. The structure of the film holds up Bron from the start: He’s frequently referred to as a genius; not only has he designed the puzzles that determine how the friends spend their days, but they’re also on his island, in his domain. He has the money and the power. The more billionaire-skeptical among the audience might not like him, but on first viewing it’s unlikely that they catch all of his verbal stumbles because of the confidence with which he delivers them.

Under direct scrutiny from the clever Blanc, though, all of the myths that Bron’s friends and followers build up around him quickly vanish. For all of the artifice, Bron is not playing 4D chess. He doesn’t have a secret plan. He’s just bumbling along.

This point suggests there’s something more to billionaires’ power over all of us than just how they spend their money. It’s not only how they use their money to dictate modern work life or bankroll politicians. The ultra-wealthy are increasingly empowered to exert their influence on politics and culture at least partially thanks to many of the rest of us, who are convinced that, by dint of their riches and power, they must know something we don’t.

As a result, Americans often become legitimate fans of rich people, particularly ultra-wealthy entrepreneurs, and submit to their rules, mostly voluntarily. This fandom partly explains why efforts to rein in the political influence of wealthy people, for instance, have been weak, and it’s why people like Elon Musk can feel compelled not just by money but by popular goodwill to take over companies like Twitter, which only furthers their social influence.

In reality, rich people are no smarter than everyone else; their plans and even downfalls are simple. Peter Thiel is funding artists in New York City and politicians in Arizona because he thinks they’ll influence culture and politics toward his vision of a new right. Neither is going well for him. FTX founder and large political donor Sam Bankman-Fried at some point bought the boy-genius myth that he was selling to everyone else, lost a lot of money and landed himself in court. Musk made an offer for Twitter because he was addicted to the platform and thought it would be good to have an even bigger megaphone and now, his companies and his own brand seem to be in freefall. Donald Trump ran for president so that he could watch himself on cable television more, stumbled backwards into the job, tweeted through it and is now hawking NFTs while he tries to dodge prosecutions. Ye, better known as Kanye West, embraced shocking behavior until it lost him lucrative business deals and, reportedly, billionaire status.

At some point, all of these men accrued enough capital that they found themselves surrounded by people who fanned their egos in the hopes of a kickback. But as they settled into these carefully constructed worlds that were built to reinforce their supposed genius, any creative spark or understanding of business or American culture that helped them in their journey to the top is bound to dim.

Glass Onion is not particularly groundbreaking. It’s not really news that rich people can be stupid. But just like Benoit Blanc tells the audience, there’s no point in overthinking it. A simple explanation of a phenomenon (or a murder), stated out loud, is often the truest.

source: politico

jake paul boxing

Jake paul twitter Signs Unspecified Contract With Cleveland Browns

Jake paul twitter Signs Unspecified Contract With Cleveland Browns

Jake paul twitter Signs Unspecified Contract With Cleveland Browns 2023.

Jake Paul is joining his hometown NFL team.

The media personality and celebrity boxer joined Cleveland Browns executive vice president JW Johnson at the podium after signing a contract with the team on Friday.

Paul also shared a video call between him and Johnson before their in-person meetup:

Neither Paul nor the Browns specified exactly what kind of contract they agreed to, but don’t expect him to be in uniform when the Browns face the New Orleans Saints in dreadful Cleveland conditions on Saturday. (Not that it was the sole giveaway, but NFL players are not allowed to wear No. 00.)

Paul was born in Cleveland and grew up in West Lake, Ohio. He is 6-0 in his boxing career with his most recent win coming against former UFC champion Anderson Silva in October.

happy chinese new year

What’s special about happy chinese new year 2022 ?

Happy chinese new year is also a way to help you better understand the unique culture of the country of billions of people

Let’s learn about interesting things in the traditional Chinese New Year below with minionsdeals

Happy chinese new year on what date ?

Happy chinese new year is also known as the spring festival held according to the weekly calendar. That means Tet will be counted from the first day to the 15th day of the first lunar month. There are many countries in the world that celebrate the Lunar New Year, but China is considered to have the most unique festivals and customs.

happy chinese new year

 

Since the Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycle of the moon, the holidays will be different. Normally, the Chinese New Year holiday will be from January 12 to February 20 according to the Yang calendar. Although Tet is celebrated in winter, it is still called the Spring Festival. Because, the time to celebrate Tet starts from the first day of spring and ends in winter. Traditional Chinese New Year is celebrated according to the lunar calendar and is meant to represent a new and prosperous life.

Features of happy chinese new year day

Before New Year’s Eve
The Chinese New Year begins on the days before the new year, when people will come together to clean their houses, decorate with lanterns, red couplets and perform many rituals to welcome the new year.

Clean the house
Chinese people have a habit of buying food, clothes and decorations about half a month before Tet. Then, about 3-4 days before Tet, they will clean the house together with the aim of banishing all the bad things in the old year. Often all family members will clean up together, which is both meant to show solidarity and help everyone relax together. Along with cleaning, if the old house can be repaired or painted more trees.

Let’s decorate the house together
Chinese New Year custom, after cleaning they will decorate the house together with red paper. According to the Chinese, the color red is said to bring many good things. Besides, they also decorate red couplets, red lanterns at offices, factories, houses, streets… Depending on what animal year is, the Chinese will decorate it in the shape of an animal. It’s all around the house.

happy chinese new year

Praying to Mr. Apple

The Lunar New Year in China is the same as in Vietnam, they also worship the Tao on December 23. On this day, the Chinese also make rice and choose to buy goldfish to worship their ancestors. After that, the whole family gathers together to enjoy a meal on December 23 and release carp into the river. The meaning of this custom is, to see Mr. Tao back to heaven to tell the Jade Emperor about life in the lower world.

happy chinese new year

The moment of transition between the old year and the new year

Before New Year’s Eve, the Chinese will gather together for a reunion meal, watch TV and light fireworks.

Year-end meal

On happy chinese new year, people gather together for the last meal of the year. All family members will reunite for dinner with Chinese dishes and share about what has happened in the past year. In this reunion meal, the Chinese often eat fish, dumplings and shrimp, soup… Then, everyone goes to the square together to celebrate New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Eve all family members count down the time together.

happy chinese new year

Watch TV

If on the night of the 30th Lunar New Year, Vietnamese people watch the Tao Quan together, the Chinese watch the spring program on CCTV. The content of the program with many performances, comedy and the participation of many famous people from various fields came to exchange.

See fireworks

At New Year’s Eve, the Chinese organize fireworks to welcome the new year. The brilliant fireworks displays in the sky combined with the symphony brought the bustling spring atmosphere. Along with that are the shows.

happy chinese new year

New Year’s Day

On the first day of the new year of the Lunar New Year in China, the people of the country of billions of people also have unique customs such as: giving lucky money, going to the temple at the beginning of the year, wishing each other New Year.

Happy New Year’s Eve

Chinese New Year custom is to give lucky money on the first day of the new year. Red and pink bags contain money to celebrate the age of the elderly and children. Currently, when society is more and more modern, Chinese people also give priority to gift-giving transactions via online transfer.

happy chinese new year

Temple festival at the beginning of the year

On the first day of the new year, temples in China attract a large number of people to worship and pray for good luck throughout the year. In addition, many large temples also organize many interesting activities such as lion dance in the communal yard.

happy chinese new year

Wish a Happy New Year

On this New Year’s Day, the Chinese also give each other wishes. First of all, I wish my grandparents and parents good health and long life for a hundred years. As for the young people, they will wish good luck at work and children will wish to eat quickly, grow up quickly and be healthy.