Statistically I am classed as being a twenty two percent kind of person, who is having a (gulp) “love affair”! In addition to which I am also a seven percent thirsty Englishman?
(As well as being a seven percent ‘picky’ person)…
It appears they may be right, so I’ll just put the kettle on and let you read the rest…
Anyone else up for a nice ‘cuppa char’ and a chocolate digestive biscuit?
Yours Aye.
(Slurping, with my little pinky finger protruding outwards)!
Paulina Gretzky, Dustin Johnson
When I hear the word Oilers, I think of Warren Moon and the Houston Oilers. Or the Edmonton Oilers, with Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, and Wayne Gretsky (but not Paulina Gretsky.) But this is another kind of oiler altogther, the upgraded Qiandaohu-class oilers, known as Type 903s:
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy now has an aircraft carrier, new jet fighters to fly off the flattop and even new submarines and guided-missile destroyers able to protect the refurbished Soviet carrier. And with the successful first sea trials of two new, 590-foot-long fleet oilers — tanker ships designed to keep other vessels fueled, or “replenished,” while sailing long distance — the PLAN could soon be able to deploy all this new hardware beyond coastal waters.
“Replenishment vessel construction rate will be a particularly revealing barometer of the PLAN’s future expeditionary intentions,” wrote Andrew Erickson, an analyst at the U.S. Naval War College. The more new oilers, the farther China will be able to send its new capital ships. Without underway replenishment, most naval vessels can travel only a few thousand miles; with fuel top-offs, they can circle the globe.
The latest, upgraded Qiandaohu-class oilers, also known as Type 903s, were launched at a shipyards in Guangzhou and Shanghai last spring. After additional work, the tankers began sea trials in the China Seas, testing out the vessels’ mechanical systems plus the storage tanks, valves, hoses and other gear for refueling other ships at sea. This week the first of the new Qiandaohus reportedly completed her trials, clearing her for frontline use.
Upgraded Qiandaohu-class oilers, also known as Type 903s, crewed by Paulina Gretsky?
When it comes to prepping new naval vessels for service, nine months is not a long time. Many U.S. vessels take years to go from launch through trials to commissioning. One U.S.-based Chinese military analyst, who blogs under the pseudonym “Coatepeque,” calls the oilers’ speedy trials “impressive.”
Impressive? Maybe. . .
Bad news for all of you in the Chinese military, the diktat has cancelled those tasty banquets y’all like so much. No more kung pow chicken, no more pot-stickers:
China has banned senior military officers from holding alcohol- fuelled banquets or from staying in luxury hotels when on work trips in the latest move by Communist Party chief Xi Jinping to fight corruption, state media reported on Saturday.
Receptions will also no longer feature welcome banners, red carpets, flowers, honour guards, performances or souvenirs, the powerful Central Military Commission, which Xi oversees, has decreed, major newspapers reported.
Officers will have to cut back on both the number and length of inspection tours, overseas visits, meetings and reports, according to the new rules.
Speakers at meetings should avoid “empty talk”, while the use of vehicles equipped with sirens will be “rigorously controlled during official visits in order to prevent public disturbances”.
You win some and you dim sum. Only if you’re PRC military, you will not dim sum for free.
Gan Lulu, Lei Bingxia, Bang Bang Bang
I like to keep an eye out for unique cooking tips. Not saying that I would use them, mind you, but any tricks of the trade interest me.
And when I saw Breitbart (of all sites) was advertising a cooking show on wontons staring Gan Lulu, an auto show model, and her mother, Lei Bingxia, I was curious. The show, Bang Bang Bang, part of Jiangsu Education Television’s regular programming, was recently banned by the Chinese government.
And not because of its wonton content, but due to its wanton content.
If you did not already know, Buicks are a status symbol in China. For historical reasons, the car sells very well over there. Guess what else is a status symbol? Female bodyguards. And Chen Yougqing, who once guarded Jackie Chan, runs Genghis Security Academy in Sonya to train young women for the job.
I think it somewhat odd that Luo Yuan, a senior engineer of Shenyang Aircraft Corp (which oversaw the aircraft carrier program), died shortly after the first carrier landing.