Category: Ruth Recommends

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13 Clever Ways to DEAL With TOXIC PEOPLE | STOICISM

00:00 – Intro
01:08 – 1. Identifying and Understanding the Toxic Threat
05:26 – 2. Fortify Your Walls
09:28 – 3. Become Uninteresting to the Emotional Barbarian
13:27 – 4. The Broken Record Technique
17:07 – 5. Don’t Take the Bait
20:42 – 6. The Art of the Non-Reaction
24:59 – 7. Limit Your Exposure
29:34 – 8. Build Your Support System
34:55 – 9. Prioritize Self-Care
40:05 – 10. Remember, It’s Not About You
44:10 – 11. Don’t Try to Fix Them
49:03 – 12. When to Walk Away
53:34 – 13. Forgive Yourself

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China Observer

This YouTube channel has stunning headlines

On December 27, a job ad for this “Pretend to Work Company” went viral on Chinese social media. The video showed an office setup that looked just like a real workplace, complete with desks, chairs, and computers. At first, many thought it was a joke poking fun at China’s rising unemployment rate. But a quick check on recruitment platforms like Boss Zhipin revealed that these “paid-to-work” companies actually exist. One such company, located in Yintai City in Shushan District, Anhui Province, is hiring managers to operate its “Pretend to Work Company.”
On the night of December 19, Mr. Yang bought a sleeper ticket for the Shanghai-to-Beijing high-speed train. To his surprise, the entire carriage was empty except for him. His video sparked lively discussions online.
Recently, a report allegedly from the People’s Bank of China revealed some alarming figures. Among China’s 1.4 billion people, more than 800 million are in debt, over 400 million have overdue loans, and more than 20 million have been blacklisted in credit reports. What’s worse, these numbers continue to rise.
Once highly sought after by Chinese companies, overseas returnees, known as ‘haigui,’ are now being referred to as ‘haifei,’ or ‘overseas waste.’ Many returning graduates are unable to secure employment, while those who do often find themselves jobless amid ongoing waves of layoffs.
After the pandemic ended in 2023, China’s economy showed no signs of recovery. By 2024, the situation deteriorated even further. Many foreign companies withdrew from cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and foreign tourists nearly disappeared. Domestic companies faced massive layoffs, and consumer spending continued to decline. Everywhere you look, shops are shutting down. The weak consumer demand has dealt a heavy blow to the restaurant industry, leaving it struggling to survive.
On December 24, 2024, industry insider Mr. Yuan revealed on social media that 75 steel companies in China have halted production. The main reason: steel products are not selling, and the more they produce, the more they lose. Many factories simply have no choice but to stop production. Mr. Yuan, from Tangshan, Hebei—a city known as the “steel capital”—shared his concerns on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. He stated that many steel mills are struggling to stay afloat, with some even finding it difficult to pay their employees. Given the uncertain market outlook, he expressed worry for workers whose families depend on incomes from steel factories.
On January 6th, protests erupted in Pucheng, Shaanxi. A young man standing on an elevated platform blew a horn, marking the peak of the public demonstration. Thousands of people gathered and tried to break through police barricades, entering the Pucheng Vocational Education Center. Some school facilities were damaged, and the principal was assaulted. Videos from the scene show the principal becoming dizzy from the beating and eventually taking refuge in an ambulance.
Recently, a bombshell hit China’s political and business circles—the first major controversy of the new year! Reports claim that the family of the late Chinese Vice President Rong Yiren has emigrated to Canada. They allegedly packed up and shipped out all the furniture from their villa in Shanghai. This news is still under verification, and as of now, no one from the Rong family or related parties has stepped forward to deny or clarify these rumors.
Recently, reports from mainland China reveal that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken drastic measures against Taiwan’s iPhone manufacturer, Foxconn. Authorities have reportedly blocked Foxconn from sending Chinese workers to its factories in India and have detained iPhone production equipment meant for shipment to India.

My opinion: the people are getting sick and tired of being squeezed. War calms people down.

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FREE water forever. LEGALLY!!!!

I installed a 30k gallon metal tank in my backyard so that I can run my entire house on rainwater. Often called a rainwater catchment or rainwater collection system; this has allowed me to avoid using city water and to catch free water from the sky instead. Think of it as a pool-sized rain barrel crammed into my backyard.

ROUGH COST OF THIS PROJECT:
30,000 GALLON TANK- $16,000 USD
PVC pipes and fittings and gutter works – $4,000 USD (very rough estimate)
My time and labor- hard to quantify. The steel for the retaining wall was probably around $1,000 USD.
Tractor purchased used probably still retains 90% of it’s value
Other tools and welders obviously cost money.
Sand and rocks- About $1,000 all said
Refurbished pump- $500
Backflow preventers and other fittings- $1,000

Labor to the contractor varies widely based on how much work you do yourself. These are very rough numbers and probably vary from region to region. The cost of drilling a well in my area would have been on par or slightly more than the above tank cost. The pumps and filters would have been required for either.”

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Ideal Dorm on Wheels

“Ethan Liebross didn’t want to take out more loans for medical school so he decided to convert a 2015 Ford Transit into an off-grid home to live in for his four years of school.

With some help from his dad on the off grid system, Ethan worked 9-to-5 for two months to create a vehicle with the details of a modern home: butcher block countertops, custom-cut memory foam mattress, a gas range and a stainless steel sink with a pressure washer.

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Who Holds US Debt?

Visualizing the Major Holders of America’s Debt

Visual Capitalist | Dec 3, 2024 | voronoi

US Debt Holders

What We’re Showing
This graphic illustrates the composition of U.S. debt, broken down by domestic and foreign investors, as well as intragovernmental debt. This data was sourced from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, as of December 2023.

Key Takeaways

  • By the end of 2023, U.S. gross debt approached $34 trillion.
  • Of this, $27 trillion (79.7%) was public debt borrowed from domestic and foreign investors, while $7 trillion (20.3%) was intragovernmental debt, representing internal government transactions.
  • The Federal Reserve System is the largest domestic holder of U.S. public debt, holding $5.24 trillion.

Data sources
https://www.pgpf.org/article/the-federal-government-has-borrowed-trillions-but-who-owns-all-that-debt/

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