Should the West sanction the Chinese economy and ban her products because of the thread of a looming conflict?

This is my view from Canada.

Assuming we (people from the "western world") want to continue to consume in our somewhat democratic world order, which suited us well for decades, the bully from China has to be stopped. And be stopped now. Look at the poor Chinese, suffering from the oppression of this Government. I doubt anyone wants this here in Canada.

To stop China its economy needs to be chocked, as China just today showed in the meeting with Mr. Blinken, that they don't want diplomacy to sort things out. An open conflict it looming if China doesn't back down soon.

We're feeding China's economy since decades, and China diverts large amounts of this in their "Great Wall Of Steel" army. Not stopping to buy Chinese products now increases her chance to win the conflict and expand her influence.

Because people want to buy cheap stuff, Governments need to intervene. I wouldn't go for a right out ban already. Keep that if the conflict should start. But put hefty tax on Chinese products. So high, that domestic products have a better chance to compete.

Sure I'd like to not see a hike in taxes or bans for Chinese products. But "we" ("Western people") cannot allow China to win a possible conflict, if diplomacy fell threw one day. In my opinion, the Canadian Government - and these of all "western" countries - should step in as soon as possible to stop us from pouring our money into China's war machinery.

By the way, this is (a bans and sanctions), which we see currently in a much smaller scale in the war between Russia and the Ukraine. So it's nothing new. But will be much bigger, if diplomacy with China finally failed.

Paypal scam and fraud

Did you find this blog article because you found an address associated with a Skype account? Someone trying to get you pay an item or service? Then the person is most likely a scammer. Make no payments before further evaluation.

Paypal scammers usually try to get a person to pay using Friends & Family and offer a bonus doing so. The reason is that Paypal's buyer protection does not apply, thus the scammer gets his money right away. You'll never see your money again, nor receive your item or service. Best shot is to tell Paypal about it ‐ if you can reach their support ‐ to get the account shut down. But the criminal already cashed in and tried to find another vitime using a different Paypal account.

The Paypal addresses here are my personal collection. Some of them come from spam mails where someone asked to pay a fee to receive a larger amount of money. Others I obtained from web pages belonging to a spammer or scammer (they're both terms for the saame criminal really), or in a chat with a scammer where I trick him to reveal his Paypal account by claiming that I cannot pay Western Union, MoneyGram or by other means but Paypal.

Be aware of these Paypal scammers!

gavabstavs@outlook.com
kolvrobertson@gmail.com
onlinebusiness824@yahoo.com
goldbluster@gmail.com
onlinebusiness824@googlemail.com
ksfillingpaper@gmail.com
joseph.murray@aitechworld.com
wholesalebook@gmail.com
getrich24hours@gmail.com
lovcu@msn.com
jmissuepaper@gmail.com
paypal@jamesbrownmarketing.com
smclaren83@gmail.com
paypal@playstarpoker.com
accessgold@gmail.com
computedincome@gmail.com
oosalecom@gmail.com
sale@techie.com
securityboxes@gmail.com
basicearnings@gmail.com
johnliew79@yahoo.com
cbsuperextreme@gmail.com
info@abcnetworks.at
totalearnings@gmail.com
zodiascopie@hotmail.fr
carlosfabiantorre1@gmail.com
paypal@isaventas4.com.ar
packnovedades@yahoo.com
alexdaanunciacao@hotmail.com
paypal@adlinkeur.info
chantal@roseofdignity.com
internetycafe@hotmail.com
hmend.t@gmail.com
achat@power-smtp.pro
info@univirlat.com
nico@webpolis.com.ar
danderian@yahoo.com
info@webpolis.com.ar
sly_el_loco@yahoo.com
morancapo7@hotmail.com
envios@smtpfull.com
info@masserver.com
financeiro@ebookmundial.com
financeiro@digitalafiliados.com
uritorkidas@gmail.com
redglobal777@gmail.com
apemods@gmail.com
serve99@gmail.com
lufedigital@gmail.com
asocveclaboca@gmail.com
comprasseguras012@live.com.mx
cmecanizadosfam@gmail.com
arw16mb@gmail.com
instantmarketingservices@gmail.com
ezequieldelvacchio@msn.com
contato@gestorcentral.com.br
premium4m@yahoo.com
tapajosvip@gmail.com
paypal@staff.pchome.com.tw
magnate.111@hotmail.com
byjunterona@gmail.com
consultoriaempresarialbyd@gmail.com
paypal@blackhatworld.com
achat@facture-express.net
billing@networktechhosting.com
globalmaxine@aol.com
support@pennyauctionwizards.com
carlosfabiantorre1@gmail.com
pagos@smwebgroup.com
paypal@neobux.com
llaquipallayexpeditions@gmail.com
payments@needhelp.com
pzacheo@hotmail.com
zachstefan02@gmail.com
yshoba70@gmail.com
jiaatsjournal@gmail.com
paiement@salaireadomicile.com
service@produitsdigital.com
support@secure-care.co
frankhan068@gmail.com
naeem.akhtar130@gmail.com
ijrdoinfo@gmail.com
seanews0@gmail.com
castorcyrelle@gmail.com
hghfair@yahoo.com

Setup and configuration for Linphone on Android with Sipgate

Linphone is a soft phone program, as well as a SIP client. It's able to place direct calls through VoIP softswitch boxes or IP-PBX. Linphone can also send and receive short text messages (SMS). It incorporates a multilanguage GUI based on GTK or QT. The Linux version also offers a console based (text) client. It's available for Linux, UNIX, Mac OS, Windows, Android and iOS. In this article I want to have a look at the Android version of Linphone and its setup, in special to set it up for sipgate.co.uk.

Linphone for Android

While I only know the Linux QT based client otherwise, I thought it might be fun to also have it available for Android. But as with many Android versions of nice Linux programs, Android versions seem often to be neglected and buggy. That is already the case in my opinion in the case of VLC for Android, which long lacked a playlist and still lacks support for audio and video codecs the desktop version handles with ease.

Preparations to setup Linphone for Sipgate

Before you follow these steps you need to have a running account with Sipgate. You could also use the assistant to guide you through the setup. But I preferred the manual method, which also gives me more control.

Manual Linphone configuration for sipgate.co.uk on Android

The configuration for Sipgate needs at least a Username, the domain sipgate.co.uk. You don't need to enter an Auth id, unless it differs from the username.

Last thing you need is to enter the password provided by you from Sipgate. This has six letters (digits and letters), while letters are all uppercase. Then you're almost set.

Connectivity problems

It took me a while to figure out why the connection attempt hung for a while and then reported Connection failed. The reason was that I set the Transport to TLS or TCP. Neither won't work with Sipgate. You need to select UDP. The setting for SIP Proxy is set by the software; don't change it. The entry for STUN Server can be left blank or bogus.

Note

VOIP and softphones are awesome in my opinion. With some providers you don't pay base fees. But note that you often cannot use a VOIP account to add your number as recovery number from mail providers to receive a text message to verify it's you. Often you also cannot receive SMS messages at all. For that you might want to consider a service offering disposable SMS and phone numbers, which is often free of charge.

Nena celebrates her 40th stage anniversary

Nena is a legendary German singer and songwriter, known for her iconic hit song "99 Red Balloons". Born on March 24, 1960, in the city of Hagen in Germany, Nena's real name is Gabriele Susanne Kerner. She started her career in music in the late 1970s, performing in local clubs with her first band The Stripes.

In 1982, Nena and her band released the single "99 Luftballons", which became a massive hit across the world. The song was a protest against the Cold War and the fear of nuclear war, and it became an anthem for peace. The song reached the top of the charts in many countries, including Germany, the UK, and the US, and it helped to make Nena an international superstar.

After 99 Red Balloons

Nena continued to have success with her music throughout the 1980s, releasing several hit albums and singles. In 1985, she released the album "Feuer und Flamme", which included the hit single "Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann". The album was a commercial success, and it cemented Nena's status as one of the most popular musicians in Germany.

Despite her success, Nena decided to take a break from music in the 1990s to focus on her personal life. She got married and had children, and she spent several years living in the countryside away from the spotlight.

Future success

In 2002, Nena made a comeback with the album "Nena feat. Nena. It was a collection of her best hits, re-recorded with new band mabers. The album was a huge success in Germany, and it helped to reintroduce Nena to a new generation of fans.

Since then, Nena has continued to release music and tour across Germany and Europe. She has also become a judge on the popular TV show "The Voice of Germany", where she mentors young singers and helps to discover new talent.

Nena's peronal life

In her personal life, Nena has been married twice and has four children. She is also a passionate advocate for environmental issues, and she supports various charities and organizations that promote sustainability and conservation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Nena's career in music has spanned several decades, and she has become one of the most beloved and iconic musicians in Germany. Her music has inspired generations of fans, and her legacy continues to live on through her timeless songs and powerful messages of peace and unity.

How to not pay Paypal fees

How to get around Paypal charges

Paypal was founded in December 1998 in San Jose. It's involved in the money transfer business and serves as an online alternative to the old method using paper for money orders or checks.

Their main means of income is charging customers fees for transactions. While sending money is and was always free in private and business Paypal accounts, charges apply when receiving money. At the start Paypal acquired EBay, and most of the income came from people paying auctions, because this business model deemed to be very attractive for vendors and customers alike, because many could not directly deal with credit cards or forms of local payment methods and currencies varying in different countries.

Receiving money without paying fees with Paypal

Paypal charges private and business customers for receiving payments only alike, with fees being higher in some cases and circumstances for business customers. They claim that one reason is the calculation of the exchange rates to apply when money to be sent needs to be converted from one currency to another. Here lays the opportunity to bypass Paypal charges. When you login to your account and want to send money to somebody in a country using a different currency than yours, set your (outgoing) currency to the of the recipient. Now you have to do the calculation yourself. Also tick the box that your intention is to send money to a friend or relative. Applying the same currency and checking the box that the recipient is a friend should make Paypal waive the fees.

I am God

I am God, or something close to that. When I'm in a café, none of the other customers has any idea who I am. Alone I drink my beer and smoke. Maybe I appear to others like ordered but not picked up. Like one who's been dumped and sorted out. Like someone coerced into being the asshole next door. May be as someone who doesn't seem important. Nevertheless, I am God – creator of all life. I bring together what would otherwise not fit together in order to create something new on the side.

In a café across the street, I see a couple sitting at one of the small tables at the window. Both are talking and smiling at each other. They try to discover each other, seem to be excited. I give them names like Sweetheart or Sunnyboy; all names I make up. I keep inventing new life and everyone in the café thinks it’s their own independent life. It's like typing something on a computer and then hitting enter – I've just created new life. The whole world eats what I write in order to reply to me at some point, after digesting it. The world then chooses one person for me. My words are to them like bait on a hook. They are like small fish in the great ocean, whose paths are determined solely by chance. I lure them in with my words by telling them about someone I might be. One of them will then tell me about him or herself. That way I can tell if it's just his words or if this person really talking about himself.

The exchange goes back and forth until images emerge in people's minds that grow over time. With each exchange I might also change my gender: sometimes I'm a woman, sometimes a man. I often make insinuations without committing myself. Sometimes I agree with the idea, sometimes I disagree. Every now and then I say the opposite of what the other person wants me to say – sometimes both: yin and yang. I also like to switch sides, because I know both. But whenever I make a new date, I choose this small café as my meeting place. I won't let that be taken from me.

It's always a new day for every new couple taking place in this little café. Because everyone should meet at exactly this meeting point in order to find a crossing. This café is their first common ground. In there I join previously separated things together. Here people get to know each other who have never exchanged a word with each other before. In fact, they are curious and surprised. But they only know as much as I tell them because I made it all up. It’s exactly at this point in time when what I imagined becomes reality. I drink my beer, smoke another cigarette and watch them doing their thing. Mostly they are full of hope, seldom argue or fight. I can see in their eyes that they forgot the world around them. The couples are beautiful. They sit together and talk to each other – they are my work.

Every night I bring new couples together here. But since I'm a very secretive being, I don't even want to know what's going on. I speak as a woman to men and as a man to women. I make appointments, for which I set the date and an identifier when we meet. I also let those present know what I expect from them and that I look forward to meeting you. They then sit in front of each other at a table and think that it was their decision and their self-determined actions to meet each other. This all makes me happy. All of this is happening just because of me, without them being aware of it.

When they get up, they often leave the café together – only on rare occasions alone. I set them free. Since I can't predict whether they will decide for or against each other, I am regularly surprised by the outcome. At the end of the evening I cover my electronic traces and disappear – make myself invisible again. In fact, no one is God. It's just an idea – a background noise, like the air, the light and the gravity. Like a fundamental law of physics, without which all parts would fall apart and make no sense.

Maybe God is a guy like me who drinks his beer and just watches other people go about their lives.

Translation and recitation of Andreas Kurz’ Ich bin Gott

Seth MacFalane hates The Orville?

Seth MacFarlane's show The Orville was probably supposed to be a mix of jokes similar to Family Guy or American Dad! with Star Trek, mainly The Next Generation. No surprise, MacFarlane being a known Star Trek fan.


Seth MacFarlane as Ensign Rivers in Star Trek Enterprise on the right.

That seemed to have worked quite well. Although professional critics gave season 1 only a 19% approval, in the audience 4 of 5 loved it. There were lot of guest appearances of Star Trek actors, and some of them, like Jonathan Frakes even directed some episodes. But the production company seems to not have been too happy - only looking st the "professionals".

Darker tone in season 2

Somewhere mid-season 2 The Orville became darker, some say "matured". The professional ratings went up to 100%, but fun and Star Trek connections slowly faded away. In my opinion that was with the double episodes Identity I and II and the Kaylon war. Thus it was decided that there will be a third season. But it's also the point where I was disappointed more and more with each new episode not going back to the roots - you know, Star Trek references and some crude jokes.

Season 3: even further away from Star Trek and humor

After watching this and becoming even more disappointed the show moved further away from its root - and the ratings indicating other love it - I wonder if I am the only one loosing faith in The Orville. Yes, the show might have become more mature and professional. But don't we have enough dark science-fiction series and movies? Where has the fun gone?

Does Seth MacFarlane hate his newest baby, The Orville?

Does he want to end the show to get free to care more about Family Guy and American Dad! but by moving away from Star Trek and jokes he instead plays into the hands of the production company? Because there was a cutaway scene in a Family Guy episode where Peter Griffin (usually voiced by Seth MacFarlane - but may be not here) shoots the TV is the announcer says The Orville comes now.

Back in 2019 I had a different opinion about the show. Today I wished it would come back to where it was in season 1.