Commercial Loans and Fun Blog

It has been 18 years since our last great recession. The next great recession must be right around the corner.  Here are some things you can do to prepare.

1. If you were already thinking about selling your large, family home and moving into a smaller, less expensive home, make that move now. It may not be too late.*

2. Avoid new debt right now like the plague. You do not want to be carrying a huge debt load into a great recession that might be worse than the crash in 2008 and in 2000.
   
   
3. To the extent you can, try to build cash reserves equal to six-months living expenses. During great recessions, tens of millions of people get laid off, as companies downsize or fail,  To make matters worse, AI is threatening to totally disrupt the economy, as it replaces workers and consumers with computers.  This great recession could be a really bad one. Perhaps you should take a much more modest vacation this year, maybe renting an Airbnb close to home, rather than flying to Disneyland.
   
   
4. Perhaps my most important advice is to set up in advance lines of credit. I have a huge line of credit on a rental home of mine, but I never use it. It is just there to get my company and me through the next great recession.  Remember, bankers will never lend to you if you need money. The secret to working with bankers is to keep lots of cash in the bank.

* Now back to selling your big, unnecessary house.  In truth, it probably is too late. The home sales figures coming out recently have been just horrible. No one is buying homes.  It may be a sign that the next great recession is already here; but you should at least try. It doesn't cost you anything to list your home.

There are areas of the country where housing prices are just 50% of those in California, the New Your City area, or the Chicago area.  My wife and I moved from California to Indianapolis twenty years ago.  For the first time in our married lives, we were not house poor. We were no longer devoting more than 50% of our income to the mortgage payments on our residence.  It was heavenly.

If you are looking for a nice destination, you might consider Indianapolis. The housing is very affordable here, and the real estate is very attractive. A great many buildings are constructed of brick, and it's just a very handsome look. Compare a nice brick building to a concrete building in California, covered with graffiti.

Cats just can't resist.

Perhaps the single nicest feature of Indianapolis is the abundance of lush, water-rich vegetation.  There is something extremely soothing about deep, green vegetation.  If you are from California or Arizona, you will be stunned by our lush, Emerald trees here.

We had snow on the ground just eight days all winter.  There are plenty of days in the West when it is too hot to go out.  "I'm melting, Dorothy, I'm melting!  Who would have thought a little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness?"

But there is some good news.  It is looking less and less likely that China will invade Taiwan and start World War III.  The debacle in Iran showed China and the world that their weapons don't work.

This week Xi Jinping fired the four heads of scientific development for their Rocket Force (hypersonic missiles, etc.), their Navy, their Air Force (China's stealth fighters aren't actually stealthy), and their Army.  All of their military contractors are incredibly corrupt, so World War III has been called off.  Never mind.

Someone posted this on X last night.  Heart-wrenching.

The French Revolution and the Decapitation of the Carmelites

July 17, 1794. Sixteen Carmelite nuns from the Compiègne convent were accused and tried, without due legal process, of religious fanaticism and conspiracy against the Republic.

When they were arrested, they made a vow of martyrdom, swearing to sacrifice themselves with joy, in the name of God, so that the madness of the Revolution might cease.

The nuns were placed in carts, and the revolutionaries in the square cheered with the arrival of each one. But when they realized they were religious sisters, the crowd began to fall silent until an absolute silence was established.

The revolutionaries hired women to “rouse” the others to shout and celebrate the deaths at the guillotine, but even they fell silent.

The only sound heard in the square was that of the sisters singing *Veni Creator Spiritus*.

In their executions, they were the only ones, among all the condemned, to walk upright, without needing to be dragged from their mobile cells. Mother Teresa of Saint Augustine, the eldest of them all, asked the executioner to leave her for last, so that she could thus give her final counsel to her flock.

The people could not believe what they were seeing. Then a voice arose from the midst of the crowd, crying out:

“Si ces femmes ne vont pas tout droit au paradis, alors il n’y a pas de paradis.”  “If these women do not go straight to paradise, then there is no paradise.”

They were angels, as the eyewitnesses described them. The Carmelites wore a serene smile on their faces at the moment of meeting death, and the silence in the square only grew.

The eldest Mother needed the executioners’ help to climb the steps. They were weeping, and she said to them:  “My friends, I forgive you with all my heart, just as I desire God to forgive me.”

The last guillotined silenced the angelic song of the Mother, and the square remained in profound silence.

I received the following this week:

“I want to first personally thank you. I “trained” with Cushman & Wakefield for 2 years, and yet 90% of the knowledge I use is from you. I know the main reason C-Loans exists is for business generation, but thank you for sharing your gift of teaching and story-telling. I would be out of business if it wasn’t for Blackburne University. I am still grateful for your training, as you saved me from becoming a bored, burned-out residential LO years ago. I learned more via George than 2 years at Cushman Wakefield.”
–Stuart Faass, Five Borough Capital. (Thanks, Stuart!)

The Fruits of Martyrdom

Many records were found of the impact they had on those who witnessed the faith of these martyrs as they refused to deny Christ. Some returned to the practice of the Church, others became religious, and some fled the revolutionary madness.

Ten days later, with the fall of Robespierre, the Reign of Terror came to an end.

For the last three years, I have lived in terror of a Chinese sneak attack in the South China Sea.  Without warning, Chinese hypersonic missiles would streak across the 112 mile Taiwan Strait and slam into two of our aircraft carriers.

It would take a Chinese DF-17 missile less than ten minutes to hit a US carrier 200 miles off the Taiwan coast, maybe even less.  The missile would strike each carrier at such speed and with such force that it might even break the back of the carrier, sending it quickly to the bottom of the ocean.  Five-thousand of our beautiful sons and daughters would be thrown into bloody, shark-infested waters.

Chuckle.  😉

A typical U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group (likely a Nimitz or Ford-class) operating near Taiwan carries approximately 60–70+ aircraft, featuring F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, and E-2D Hawkeyes. The estimated value of these aircraft alone exceeds $5–$6 billion, bringing the total replacement cost (with the ship) to over $18 billion. 

Instantly, the US would be shown to the world to be the Emperor With No Clothes.  The US is mortal.  The Americans can be beaten.  Confidence in the US dollar would plunge.  Why keep your money in the currency of collapsing empire?

Yeah, about that...  In the words of Roseanne Roseannadanna, from the classic years of Saturday Night Live, "Never mind."  According to Grok, Chinese munitions have proven to be largely ineffective.

The Q-9B Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) is a long-range anti-stealth air defense system, comparable to Russian S-300/400.  Iran acquired multiple batteries post-2025.  They proved to be largely ineffective; all three known units were destroyed within hours (some reports say minutes) of initial US-Israeli strikes.  They failed to intercept stealth aircraft or sustained assaults.

HCM-302 Supersonic Anti-Ship Missiles are supposed to be the advanced "carrier killer" missiles.  They were supplied secretly before the war.  There were no confirmed hits on US naval targets.  The missiles were either intercepted or suffered malfunctions mid-flight

Drones (e.g., variants of Shahed-series with Chinese components):  These are kamikaze and surveillance drones, often integrated with Chinese engines or tech.  They had a minimal impact.  They failed to blunt aerial assaults or achieve precision strikes, similar to their underperformance in Ukraine.

Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems:  These are anti-jamming radars and cyber defense tools, including YLC-8B long-range radars. They were overwhelmed by US-Israeli electronic and cyber operations.  They provided limited early warning or countermeasures. 

Bottom line:  The Chinese sh*t didn't work.

I watched a war video on Youtube (X?) the other day.  It showed a large column of Russian armor advancing down a country road, preparing to attack.  Ukrainian kamikaze drones swooped down and totally destroyed every Russian tank and Infantry Fighting Vehicle.  Twenty-five armored vehicles and hundreds of Russian troops were destroyed.

I have been asking myself, from the point of view of a kamikaze drone, what is the difference between that column of Russian armor and a flotilla of Chinese destroyers and troop ships?  

Other than the fact that the ships are traveling even slower.

World War III has been canceled.  The Chinese are NOT coming.  Their stuff simply doesn't work, and armed forces of the US are just too awesome.  Well done, boys (and girls)!  Atta-soldiers!

A so-called investment guru has recently created a new video campaign on YouTube warning that the dollar is about to get significantly devalued.  Intentionally.  By Trump - although it didn't sound like the guru irrationally hated President Trump.

The guru, in fact, seemed to understand Trump's motivation.  Trump is trying to improve America's economic competitiveness.  He is trying to close the enormous trade deficit that is draining the country of wealth.

Therefore, the guru doesn't hate the Mar-a-Lago Accord.  He was just warning Americans that they were about to suffer an economic witch-slap, as the purchasing power of their savings suddenly plunged.

So What is the Mar-a-Lago Accord?

The Mar-a-Lago Accord isn’t an official treaty — It’s more like a bold, controversial idea floated in Trump’s second term. Think of it as a modern twist on the 1985 Plaza Accord, but cooked up at Trump’s Florida resort.

Here’s the gist:  Economist Stephen Miran — now head of the Council of Economic Advisers — pitched it to fix America’s huge trade deficit.

The plan?  Force trading partners (China, Europe, Japan, etc.) to help weaken the US dollar through coordinated moves — like selling dollars or buying their own currencies.  A cheaper dollar would make US exports cheaper abroad, boost manufacturing, and cut imports.

In exchange, the US might dangle security guarantees or market access… or just threaten tariffs if they don’t play ball.

Some versions even talk about twisting arms on US debt — like turning foreign-held Treasuries into super-long, low-interest bonds.  Wild, right?

As of early 2026, though? It’s mostly talk. Parts of it — like tariff pressure— have been rolled out, but no full-blown “accord” has landed.

Analysts call it risky: The accord could spark inflation, rattle bond markets, or backfire, if allies push back.

My lovely wife and I once stayed a night at Mar-a-Lago.  COVID had just started, and the cruise lines and hotels were offering incredible deals.  We foolishly decide to take a cruise.  We had a great cruise, and fortunately we didn't get sick.

Anyway, Mar-a-Lago was gorgeous!  Because of trade shows, I have personally visited every one of the top fifty cities in the US and many foreign cities as well.  I have seen some gorgeous properties in my lifetime.  The Opera House in Sydney Harbor was perhaps the most gorgeous.

Mar-a-Lago has to be one of the most gorgeous properties in the world.  Oh, my goodness.  The hotel's restaurant over-looks the beautiful golf course, and it was very pleasurable to dine on delicious food, while watching the golfers tee off.

Because of the COVID special, our room cost just $95 per night.  During normal times, that hotel room might have cost $1,200.  Some nights, according to Grok, the room rate soars to close to $2,000.

My wife and I were congratulating ourselves on getting such a good deal, until we got the bill for our buffet breakfast.  $225, with tip.  Ouch.  

I am not a rich man, but I am a very secure man.
Servicing rights keep the doors open during Great Recessions.

With modern software, servicing hard money
loans is surprisingly easy.

But overall, staying at Ma-a-Lago was a hell of an experience.  Our room was wonderful - very plush, opulent, and tasteful.  The hotel and the golf course were stunning, and they were decorated with the same understated taste and style that you might see at the Bellagio, the classiest hotel in Las Vegas. 

I wonder if Melania had a hand in its decoration.  Her movie was a little boring for a guy who likes shootings, explosions, and car chases; but you have to admire her personal dignity, carriage, style, and taste.  I came away from the movie, Melania, admiring her.  I personally think that our President - the darn fool - has finally come to treasure her.  Just look at his face when he sees her.  Pure adoration. 

The biggest applause that Trump got while delivering his second Presidential acceptance speech was when he mentioned his intention to work for peace.  That was Melania's idea!!  They captured her recommendation while making the movie. 

When the crowd was going crazy over Trump's words of peace, he turned from the podium, pointed at his lovely wife, and gave her the slightest of bows.  He has settled eight wars since then.  We men are such simple creatures.  We will do almost anything to please the woman that we love.  Haha!

We need small, remote, and unusual
commercial real estate loans.

The bad guy - the black hat - in this drama is Xi Jinping, the paramount leader of China.  Xi holds three key positions: General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and President of the People's Republic of China. 

It was Xi who destroyed China economically.  By telling the world that China intended to invade Taiwan, he scared the heck out of his own people.  Consumers greatly reduced their spending, and the average Chinese citizen began hoarding his money like crazy.  The Chinese domestic market for manufactured goods dried up like a raisin.  The velocity of money - how quickly money circulates in an economy - took a nosedive.  This was a boneheaded economic disaster.

Soon American and foreign investors realized that Xi was serious.  "China has become uninvestable."  Foreign investors pulled their investments out of China at a record pace.  China lost hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars in investments.

The coup de grace was when foreign manufacturers pulled their factories out of China, laying off millions of Chinese workers and cutting off China from the latest commercial technologies.

Xi Jinping destroyed China.  The party elders wanted him out; but they wanted a peaceful exit, like a retirement or the end of a political term.  Xi refused to go, and he still controlled enough power to prevent his own sacking.

Enter now Zhang Youxia - the white hat - who was the highest ranking general in China.  Xi tried to make Zhang retire, and Zhang  said, "No, thank you." 

Zhang took over the People's Liberation Army ("PLA") and started to sack all of Xi's most loyal generals.  In one day, during the Fourth Plenum, Zhang deposed nine of Xi most important generals.  Some "died of a heart attack during questioning." 

If Zhang couldn't shoot Xi, he could at least strip Xi of all of his supporters.  The purge took out the top 100 or so generals loyal to Xi.  You and I support Zhang because Zhang has been holding Xi back from attacking Taiwan.

So why is Xi so desperate to invade Taiwan?  At first, the conquest was Xi's egotistical quest for a lasting legacy.  Then Xi destroyed the Chinese economy.  The economy there is just horrible.  Unless he does something to unite and inspire the people, Xi was soon going to be deposed.  He would be accused of corruption and hung. 

The rule is 100%.  Only those mortgage companies
with servicing income survive great recessions.

Servicing small commercial loans is easy-peasy.

Corruption?  All of these high-ranking CCP officials and generals are incredibly corrupt.  It's like accusing a red-blooded, heterosexual, American man of ogling Sydney Sweeney.  We're all guilty.  Haha!

Now back to Zhang.  Remember this adage:

"Whoever controls the PLA controls China."

But the CCP elders made a huge mistake.  They did not immediately depose and arrest XI.  Xi hatched a plot with his Imperial Guard.  Xi claimed that he was deathly sick, and he was seen being driven to a hospital in an ambulance.  The rumor quickly spread that Xi was near death. 

Jimmy Carter was President when we were founded.

Any day in 46 years you could have invested
$20,000 in a particular first mortgage you have chosen.

Zhang normally travels with twenty guards, but since Xi was in the hospital, he attended a public event with only four guards.  Oops.  One hundred Imperial Guards surrounded his men, shot them, and then allegedly took Zhang prisoner. 

Within hours Zhang's number two was captured, along with a dozen of so top generals loyal to Zhang.  Xi also went after their families.  Orders went out to the Central Military Commission ("CMC") - the Chinese equivalent to our Joint Chiefs of Staff - to hold all units in place.

Four Army Groups - about 30,000 men each - ignored Xi's orders and marched on Beijing.  I guess these lower-ranking generals figured it makes no sense to sit around at home and await an arrest by the goon squad.  Beijing is now surrounded, and only Xi's Imperial Guard remain loyally guarding him.

Are you a new commercial mortgage broker?
You're refarted* if you don't invest $29 in this.

*It is politically incorrect to say the proper word.  Haha!

This morning I read where seven other Army Groups are on their way to Beijing to join in the siege.  (This could just be propaganda by the good guy's side.)  Matters are now at a standstill, as the siege continues, and as the party elders try to negotiate a way to save the Chinese Communist Party.

Did Zhang really sell the Chinese nuclear launch codes to the US?  Of course not.  Xi just needs an excuse to quickly hold a trial and execute Zhang.  Xi is not stupid.  I'll bet Zhang and his number two have already been shot.

Will Xi come out of this still in command?  All day yesterday, Xi has been issuing orders to the CMC, and the CMC has been ignoring them.  The common soldiers have taken to calling XI a baozi, a steam bun. 

My best guess is that Zhang is already dead, but Xi will be allowed to flee the country.  I just can't see the junior generals surrounding Beijing allowing themselves and their families to be rounded up and murdered.

This could be good for us if Xi is finally deposed.  Xi needs to invade Taiwan to keep the sans-culottes from demanding his head.

During the French Revolution, culottes (fancy silk knee-breeches) symbolized the aristocracy, while the common people, called sans-culottes ("without culottes"), proudly wore long trousers (pantaloons) as a sign of their working-class status and their opposition to the elite.  The sans-cullotes became the radical, driving force for republican ideals, direct democracy, and economic equality.

It was the sans-culottes who demanded so many heads.

There is one advantage to being dull and thick-headed like me.  My disability forces me to learn advanced financial subjects in very simple terms.  Now let's tackle the concept of Net Worth in laymen's language (baby language).

So mean.

In simple terms, your Net Worth is the cash you would hold if you sold off - you liquidated - everything that you owned and paid off all of your debt. 

For a great many Americans, that number is a negative number; i.e., they owe more than what all of their assets combined are worth.  Obviously, banks don't rush to make loans to people with a negative net worth.

Here's a good rule of thumb.  Banks will seldom make a loan larger than a borrower's net worth.  If your borrower has a $500,000 net worth, the largest bank loan for which he might qualify is usually less than $500,000. 

Residential mortgage loans are an exception to this rule.  First mortgages on homes, where the borrower has demonstrated the ability to afford the payments (think of a physician just two years out of medical school with no assets but an increasing salary) are very desirable assets for banks.  These residential mortgages are very liquid assets; i.e., they can be quickly be sold off to another bank for cash.

As the owner of C-Loans.com, the commercial mortgage portal, I often hear mortgage brokers grumbling, "C-Loans doesn't work.  I submitted my $3 million commercial loan to 18 banks, and not one of them responded."

When I look up their deal, almost invariably their borrower - the one trying to borrow $3 million - has a net worth of just $250,000.  Hellooo?  To successfully borrow $3 million from a bank, you need a net worth of at least $3 million.

If you hooked my precious parts up to electrodes
and asked me, "Is this a good investment?"
I would passionately answer, "Oh Heavens, Yes!"

Do this!  Learn the profession!

I used a fancy finance term earlier - liquidate.  To liquidate an asset means to convert it to cash, the most liquid of all assets.  

When banks seize the assets of a delinquent borrower and liquidate them, it means they sell off the assets to some used furniture broker or used car dealer.  You never want a bank to liquidate your assets.  They sell off your assets in a hurry for pennies on the dollar.  Your new Play Station 5, for which you just paid $500, might fetch a lousy $55; and that $55 must be used to pay down your impossible debt. 

Let's get back to net worth.  How does a banker know your net worth?  He makes you complete a financial statement.  A Financial Statement consists of two documents - a Balance Sheet and a Profit and Loss Statement.

I belly-laugh every time I read the above meme.

How many times have you said, "This lender is an idiot."

Your net worth appears at the bottom of your Balance Sheet.  Your Balance Sheet starts with your Liquid Assets - like cash, marketable securities (stocks), bonds, and the cash value of your life insurance policy.  Added to that are your Fixed Assets - like your house, your real estate, your cars, your company, your 401k, and your profit sharing plan.

Combined your Liquid Assets and your Fixed Assets give you your Total Assets.

On the right side of the Balance Sheet are your Liabilities.

Oh, Heavens, if my wife sees this...

STOP!

Remember, we are trying to determine your Net Worth - the value of your Total Assets minus all of your debts.

Okay, now back to the right side of your Balance Sheet, where all of your debts are listed.  We have your Personal Loans, your Credit Cards, your Auto Loans, and finally your Mortgages.

How about a first aid kit for his cut feet?

Combined, we have your Total Liabilities.  When we subtract your Total Liabilities from your Net Assets, we have -

1.  Your Current Ratio
2.  Your Quick Ratio
3.  Your Net Worth; or 
4.  Your Liquidation Value

Cue the Jeopardy tune...

...

...

...

...

Right Answer:  Your Net Worth

Dear Readers:  The marketing suggestions that I will describe below will work for any industry which sells or provides services nationwide (lumber, women's shoes, etc.).  You don't have to be in the commercial loan business.

Below is a recent social media post of mine that was effective:

I make my social media posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X  - all of which are free.  I really like "free."  Between my staff of six active staff members, we have combined about 9,000 contacts who see our posts.

I post to social media twice a day, typically a joke or a meme in the morning and a more serious post in the afternoon.  That's 18,000 free touches per day (2 x 9,000).

Social media typically generates two new commercial loan leads for us every day.  And remember, social media is free!!!

Here is an example of a joke that I posted this week:

The format of my social media posts is always the same - a joke or factoid at the top, which rewards our readers for reading our posts, followed by a brief word from our sponsor.  

For example, if I was looking for commercial loan leads that day, I might write, after the joke, "Blackburne & Sons is looking for small, remote, or unusual commercial loans."  Then I would post a link to a landing page.

Here is the landing page I use for commercial loans: https://www.blackburneandsons.com/real-estate-loans/

"But George, I don't know any jokes."  Go onto Google and search for free joke newsletters.  Your friends tell you new jokes several times per day.  Write them down quickly in your phone.  Your daily "joke" might even be a nice story.  Your joke or story merely needs to provide a little joy.  It doesn't have to be perfect.

"But George, where will I get the factoids?"  Read X daily and seize on the any story that might be of interest to your readers.  Once again, write down the new factoid quickly in your phone.

"Where do I get the images?"  Just make them using AI.  Your AI tool will have a text field.  Simply write, "An exasperated wife stares at her husband in frustration, while he sheepishly avoids her gaze."  Press the Generate button, and within a minute, "Voila!"

"But George, I don't know a lot of people."  I started building my social media base less than two years ago.  Today, I am up to 4,700 friends.  I simply send out 15 or so invites per day.  LinkedIn makes it easy.

Marketing is a numbers game.  You have to keep your name and contact information in front of as many people as possible.

There is good news coming, so don't go out and kill yourself. [Chuckle]

If the U.S. and China go to war, your life will become hell.  You will mourn, along with your neighbors who had children in the Navy, the loss of 10,000 sons and daughters when the Chinese use their hypersonic missiles to sink at least two of our carriers and dozens of our smaller warships.

Your combined income tax rate will probably increase by 15% (from 30% to 45%), as the Federal government struggles to replace the 40 warships it lost in the opening hours of the war.

You will be lucky to keep your job.  Unemployment could easily soar to 20%, as worried and/or broke U.S. consumers stop buying.  If you do keep your job, you will definitely NOT be getting a raise.

After the first ten days of the war, the average American will finally understand our massive shortage of missiles, as our carriers, warships, and marines are forced to retreat across the map.  We can't replace these missiles because we lack the rare earth magnets needed to make them.

The cost of imports will skyrocket.  Everything will cost dramatically more.  The Dollar Store will become the Five Dollar Store.  Inflation might reach 20%.

Foreign investors will flood out of Treasury bonds, as there is a genuine risk of default.  We could easily lose a war with China.  Real estate will fall by 45%, between an initial 25% plunge, followed by a second, more prolonged 20% decline.  Once Hawaii has fallen, West Coast real estate will be in easy range of Chinese ship-mounted missiles.   

Interest rates will skyrocket.  Thirty-year Treasuries will probably soar to 12%.  Mortgage rates will be in the 14% range.  Loan-to-value ratios will plunge to 60%.  It almost won't matter.  No one will be buying houses or refinancing their sub-5% mortgages.

My wife keeps duct tape
handy to use on me.

Life is going to suck.

Now the Good News:

Xi Jinping, the President of China, the head of the CCP, and the Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission has effectively been deposed.

Right before the Fourth Plenum, Xi's rival and current head of the PLA, Zhang Youxia, deposed the nine highest ranking generals and admirals loyal to Xi.  By the end of the Fourth Plenum, Xi Jinping had been stripped of his power, but not his titles.

The CCP's elders realize that China's economy is a disaster.  By shooting off his mouth and announcing his intention to go to war in 2027, Xi scared foreign investors into fleeing China, with their money.  Near-shoring and friend-shoring are now all the rage.

The consumer market in China also clammed up, as terrified Chinese citizens started hoarding their cash.  We have all heard of the empty Chinese malls and restaurants.  Everyone is hoarding cash for the war.

Fortunately, the party elders have reined in Xi.  Right now he is just a figurehead.  However, if Xi can provoke a war, he will be catapulted back into power.  Anyone resisting Xi's reinstatement as head of the military will be deemed a traitor.  "Rally around the flag, Boys!"

It reminds me of that scene in Braveheart, when the nobility of both sides were meeting for a parley before the Battle of Stirling Bridge.  When his men asked William Wallace (Mel Gibson), "Where are you going?" Braveheart replied, "I'm going to pick a fight." 

Right now Xi Jinping is sending his Naval and Merchant Marine cronies to pick a fight with the Filipinos, the Japanese, or the Taiwanese.  We are definitely not out of the woods yet.