Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 5/4/26
"Alert! Major Military Movements, Record Stratotankers!
Explosions In Iran! Apocalyptic Scenes!"
Comments here:
So, we rise from the rubble...
StatCounter
Monday, May 4, 2026
Jeremiah Babe, "Something Very Serious is Happening In The Bond Market, Prepare For Impact"
Jeremiah Babe, 5/4/26
"Something Very Serious is Happening
In The Bond Market, Prepare For Impact"
Comments here:
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the aquatically intimidating constellation Cetus. Seen edge-on, the island universe spans over 100,000 light-years, a little larger than our own Milky Way galaxy. The colorful, spiky stars decorating this cosmic portrait of NGC 1055 are in the foreground, well within the Milky Way. But the telltale pinkish star forming regions are scattered through winding dust lanes along the distant galaxy's thin disk.
Click image for larger size.
With a smattering of even more distant background galaxies, the deep image also reveals a boxy halo that extends far above and below the central bulge and disk of NGC 1055. The halo itself is laced with faint, narrow structures, and could represent the mixed and spread out debris from a satellite galaxy disrupted by the larger spiral some 10 billion years ago."
Bill Bonner, "The Dying Kitten"
"The Dying Kitten"
A brief report from the thin line between the living and the dying...
by Bill Bonner
Poitou, France - "We’ll hit the pause button today. We’ll catch up with the economy tomorrow. Herewith, for no particular reason and of no particular importance, is what happened over the weekend. “Is it still alive,” Elizabeth wanted to know? The poor kitten, one of four she had rescued, had been brought into the office. There, she tried to nurse it…with extra rations and a warm blanket. But it wasn’t looking good.
The four kittens were just part of a litter at a neighbor’s house. Born in a barn to a stray cat, they weren’t likely to survive for very long. Elizabeth had grabbed those she could reach and brought them home. “I’ll try to find homes for them.” After a couple of days of feeding and cleaning up, three seemed to be doing well – playing in the yard…jumping…happily amusing themselves by getting into everything. The other one barely moved.
Death in the Fall: It was a beautiful fall weekend in this part of France. The sky was clear. The days were warm. And the nights were crisp, with a bright moon leaving long dark shadows across the lawn. A few of the trees have begun to shed their leaves…one or two of them danced on the breeze before disappearing into a ditch. But the bulk of the autumnal dying is still ahead.
On Sunday, we went to a special mass, a memorial to a local girl who died in an accident many years ago. “She was so pretty and so smart,” explained a friend. “Her father and mother adored her, of course. They expected her to take over the family business. “But when she died the whole family fell apart. They just couldn’t get over it. [The mother] started drinking. She was okay for a while, then she’d go on a binge. Finally, she got lung cancer from smoking so much. She was thin as a rail. They spent years fighting the cancer…alcoholism…and depression. She died last year.
“And the poor father. He used to be so outgoing. So sociable. He had a career in politics. Everyone liked him. And then, he just closed in on himself.” We saw him in church. Stooped. Gray. He looked much older than we remembered him. Along with many others, we had come to pay our respects to him. But as soon as the service was over, he slipped out of the side door.
Elizabeth coached us as we were making our way out of the church. “There’s Jean-Jacques. He lost his wife last year.” “What was her name?” “Francoise…be sure to say something to him. And there’s Marie-Juliette, don’t forget to ask how Rene is doing.” “Who’s Rene?” “Her husband…he had an operation; I can’t remember what kind of operation.” “Oh, you know…” Marie-Juliette replied. “He has good days and bad days… He had a heart operation; the surgeon was very pleased with it. But it didn’t seem to do Rene much good.”
Middle Ages: Friends gathered in front of the ancient church, built in the middle ages. We exchanged greetings…and thoughts that the old stones must have heard 1,000 times.
“It’s hard getting old,” our friend continued. “So many things can go wrong. I think of all the people we know who are widows or widowers. And so many our age who can’t get around because they have some problem.” He listed a few. One neighbor spends his days in a wheelchair; he has a degenerative nerve disease. Another has such a serious case of arthritis, her hands and feet have twisted…making it difficult to walk. Still others – are dying of this or that. “I guess we are all going the same way, sooner or later. And I guess we should be grateful that we’re not there yet.”
Back at home, “how are the kittens doing,” we asked Elizabeth. “The vet said to keep the sick one warm…and bring them in tomorrow, if they’re still alive.”
From across the road, Claude and Christine came to visit. Claude limped. He is much younger than we are, but much heavier…and a farmer. He’s had to stop work. One knee was repaired. He shifted his weight onto the other one. “Now they say I have to have my left knee operated on too, because I’ve been using it too much. Then, it will be another 6 months off work. I’m going a little crazy sitting around the house.” Christine nodded her head in agreement.
Deep France: “But did you hear the good news? Well, maybe it’s not good news for you. Your renters are leaving you. [We rent out two tiny houses on our property.] “What a shock. I saw that they were getting along well…but I was surprised. They’re moving out so they can move into a bigger place – together.”
The shock of it comes from the fact that one of our tenants is 62 years old and already retired. Paul, a disabled electrician, has an earring, which seems uncharacteristically fashionable for this area. This is ‘la France profonde’ – deep France – where the fashions of Paris seem far away…and generally unwelcome. Paul has a bad hip. The other renter is a young woman in her 30s. Heavily tattooed and extremely shy, she might have some disability of her own. Improbably, they got together.
Later in the day, Paul came over to ask permission to break the lease. Then, explaining his new living arrangement: “I didn’t expect it. But you never know. These things happen. I just hope it lasts.” “Best of luck to you both,” we said, as we raised a coffee mug.
By Sunday evening, the kitten was still breathing. But barely. We studied it. It was alive. Prodded, it could move its paws. It murmured once or twice. We watched as it struggled for breath. There is such a thin line between the living and the dead…sometime during the night, the line was crossed. Breathing stopped. These things happen."
The Universe
“Believe me, I know all about it. I know the stress. I know the frustration. I know the temptations of time and space. We worked this out ahead of time. They're part of the plan. We knew this stuff might happen. Actually, you insisted they be triggered whenever you were ready to begin thinking thoughts you've never thought before. New thinking is always the answer.”
“Good on you,”
The Universe
“Thoughts become things... choose the good ones!”
"Reality..."
“Reality is what we take to be true.
What we take to be true is what we believe.
What we believe is based upon our perceptions.
What we perceive depends upon what we look for.
What we look for depends upon what we think.
What we think depends upon what we perceive.
What we perceive determines what we believe.
What we believe determines what we take to be true.
What we take to be true is our reality.”
- Gary Zukav
The Poet: Charles Bukowski, "The Mind, Go All The Way"
Full screen recommended.
- Charles Bukowski, "The Mind, Go All The Way"
Read by Tom O'Bedlam
"Nothing New Under the Sun"
"Nothing New Under the Sun"
"Yes, the times change with the tides; yet the tales, like the surf, sound on in familiar perpetuity and with steady repetition. In the modern era, during the great clash of civilizations currently underway, there will be no new, great and ghastly crusades. Only resistance or surrender. In America, just as her tide recedes from the world, in the end it may become Man overboard, and every man for himself. The sun rises. The sun sets.
As sand through an hour-glass, or waves rolling over every shore, so too, do our journeys mark passageways through time; and, in the end, our navigation may, indeed, depend upon guidance, like stars, shining down from heaven upon what we know, over the decisions we make; on the destinies we choose. And, of course, there will be losses incurred during the storms.
So, we raise our sails and pray for the prosperous winds of Providence to guide our ways and guard our lives through uncharted seas. Perhaps it's true that fortune finds and favors the faithful above all. Even still, those who believe, and those who doubt, and those who sleep, all do drift and blow by the same breeze. The winds of change are on us. They've always been here, steadfast and old as time itself. Like the earth. Nothing new under the sun."
- Doug "Uncola" Lynn
California Is Facing A “Fuelmaggedon” As Fighting Erupts In The Middle East And The Strait Of Hormuz Remains Closed"
by Michael Snyder
"Would you pay 8 dollars for a gallon of gasoline? I know that may sound crazy to many of you, but that is what some residents of Los Angeles are paying right now. Sadly, the west coast is more dependent on oil from the Persian Gulf than anywhere else in the continental United States, and now the last tanker that departed before the war with Iran began has arrived. What this means is that gas prices are going to go even higher on the west coast. In fact, some gas stations may soon need to add another digit on their pumps in order to accommodate prices that are higher than $9.99 a gallon.
After President Trump announced the start of “Project Freedom”, a few commercial vessels decided that they would try to make it through the Strait of Hormuz. Shortly thereafter, the Iranians began firing. A South Korean cargo vessel was among those that were targeted…
A South Korean ship sailing near the Strait of Hormuz was attacked on Monday, according to the Korean media outlet Chosun Daily, citing a government official.U.S. warships were targeted too, and in response the Navy destroyed 6 Iranian fast attack boats…The U.S. attacked Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after Tehran targeted Navy ships, threatening to upend a fragile ceasefire and President Donald Trump’s new vow to open the critical pathway. The U.S. military “blew up” six small Iranian boats after its forces launched “multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats” at the ships but did not hit them, according to U.S. Central Command head Adm. Bradley Cooper, who leads America’s operations in the region. He did not say what impact this would have on the ceasefire.
The Iranians have also launched at least 15 missiles and 4 drones at the United Arab Emirates…United Arab Emirates air defenses engaged 15 Iranian missiles and four drones, its defence ministry says. That includes 12 ballistic missiles and three cruise missiles, injuring three people. Most of the missiles and drones were intercepted, but it appears that a significant amount of damage was done at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone…Flames also broke out at Fujairah Oil Industry Zone after a drone attack, which has left three Indian nationals with “moderate” injuries. Plumes of dark smoke have been pummelling into the sky after the shock strike, some 80 miles from Dubai.
Needless to say, those running the UAE are extremely upset, and they are warning that they have a “full and legitimate right” to hit back… The UAE’s foreign ministry said the attacks posed a direct threat to the nation’s security, adding that the UAE reserved its “full and legitimate right” to respond. The ceasefire is dead, and that is really bad news for those that were hoping that gasoline prices would come down soon.
On Monday, it was being reported that the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has now reached $4.45…Gas prices are entering the summer driving season at record levels, with the national average hitting $4.45 on May 2 - the highest ever for that date. That’s up about $1.28 from a year ago, according to AAA, with prices rising across nearly every region. Paying four and a half dollars a gallon is not the end of the world. But in some parts of California, it is an entirely different story right now.
As I mentioned earlier, some residents of Los Angeles are now paying more than 8 dollars a gallon…Long known for its sprawling freeways and car-centric lifestyle, Los Angeles is reaching a breaking point as fuel costs turn the simple act of driving into a “miserable, miserable, miserable” experience. As regional gas prices soar past $8 a gallon, residents in the once-thriving Golden State are checking their eyes and their bank accounts, with some admitting they “thought it was a meme” or “thought it was AI.” But the financial pain is all too real for those living in the nation’s most expensive car culture, where filling a tank now requires a triple-digit investment.
“It’s very painful to drive in L.A. right now, and especially if you’re barely making minimum wage, it’s not even worth driving,” Amador, from Santa Clarita, told Fox News Digital during a man-on-the-street segment. “Thought it was a meme, thought it was AI, but looking at it up close, it’s kind of crazy to think you’re paying almost $9.”
That is crazy. Sadly, gas prices in California could soon go a lot higher because “the final ship carrying oil from the Middle East” has reached the Port of Long Beach…California is about to face the most brutal test of the gas crisis yet as the final ship carrying oil from the Middle East arrived in the Golden State. The last oil tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war kicked off docked at the Port of Long Beach with two million barrels for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Despite the West Coast being heavily reliant on fossil fuels out of the Persian Gulf due to crippling eco-policies from Gavin Newsom, there are no more vessels currently en route.
No more tankers from the Middle East will be arriving. That is really bad news, because normally approximately 30 percent of California’s oil imports come from the Persian Gulf… Last year, California refineries sourced around 30% of their foreign crude oil from the Persian Gulf, based on state data. The Golden State is particularly vulnerable to war in the region as its status as an isolated energy island without gas pipelines has led it to increasingly rely on these imports.
The politicians in California didn’t want to build any pipelines. Now they are going to pay a very great price for that decision. Everyone was counting on a quick end to the war. Now fighting has resumed, and I expect that this conflict will soon escalate dramatically. But even if a miracle happens and some sort of a deal is reached, the Iranians are never going to allow traffic to flow through the Strait of Hormuz like it did before the war.
The Iranians have been very clear about the fact that they intend to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz from now on…Statements have intensified following a message for National Persian Gulf Day attributed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. In the message, he described the strait as a “strategic asset” and outlined a vision for the region’s future as “a future without America,” emphasizing the importance of “Iranian management of the strait.”
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signaled the shift most clearly, linking current policy to both strategic doctrine and historical precedent. “Today as well, by exercising management over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will ensure that it and its neighbors enjoy the valuable prospect of a future free from the presence and interference of America,” he wrote on X.
If the Iranians are allowed to charge tolls and restrict who is allowed to use the Strait of Hormuz on a permanent basis, it will strangle the global economy for years to come. But the only way to break Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz is by force. Either option will have enormous consequences. The bottom line is that we are still only in the very early stages of this crisis, and so the elevated gas prices that we are witnessing now could seem like a great bargain a few months down the road."
"How It Really is"
"Then you will see the rise of the men of the double standard - the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money - the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue. In a moral society, these are the criminals, and the statutes are written to protect you against them. But when a society establishes criminals-by-right and looters-by-law - men who use force to seize the wealth of disarmed victims - then money becomes its creators' avenger. Such looters believe it safe to rob defenseless men, once they've passed a law to disarm them. But their loot becomes the magnet for other looters, who get it from them as they got it. Then the race goes, not to the ablest at production, but to those most ruthless at brutality. When force is the standard, the murderer wins over the pickpocket. And then that society vanishes, in a spread of ruins and slaughter.
Do you wish to know whether that day is coming? Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society's virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion - when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing - when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors - when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you - when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice - you may know that your society is doomed."
Do you wish to know whether that day is coming? Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society's virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion - when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing - when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors - when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you - when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice - you may know that your society is doomed."
"Francisco’s Money Speech” from “Atlas Shrugged,” by Ayn Rand.
o
"If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders - what would you tell him to do?"
"I... don't know. What could he do? What would you tell him?"
"To shrug."
- Ayn Rand, “Atlas Shrugged”
o
Freely download "Atlas Shrugged", by Ayn Rand, here:
"America's Suez Moment: How Losing Hormuz Could End US Global Dominance"
"America's Suez Moment: How Losing
Hormuz Could End US Global Dominance"
by Nick Giambruno
"The way I see it, the US has two unappealing choices: Launch a full-scale ground invasion and try to topple the Iranian government. Try to create the appearance of a win, and declare victory by claiming the objectives were met even when they clearly were not. President Trump can choose option #2, but it would be widely perceived as a defeat. International relations scholar John Mearsheimer put it best: "Most of them say that President Trump should quickly declare victory and withdraw from the war. He can do this, but it will be perceived as a humiliating defeat for the US."
Moreover, the Iranians may not agree to end the war. The Iranians have many cards to play. They can inflict significant losses. Therefore, even if we retreat, it’s unclear whether this will solve the problem. The US will still look like it has suffered a humiliating defeat. Therefore, I think President Trump has put himself in a situation where he really doesn’t have a good exit strategy." If the US declares "mission accomplished" while Hormuz remains closed that would amount to an unambiguous strategic defeat for the US.
I would estimate that each choice has about a 50% probability at this point. But regardless of what Trump ultimately chooses, I think the outcome is unlikely to change—a historic geopolitical downgrade for the US. If Trump chooses to declare a fake victory, it would amount to surrendering Hormuz to the Iranians. If Trump chooses to launch a full-scale ground invasion of Iran, I predict it would be ill-fated, with a very low chance of success.
Remember, Iran, like Switzerland, has rugged mountainous terrain that has helped shield it from invasion. But Iran is not merely another Switzerland. At roughly 1.65 million square kilometers, it is about 40 times larger than Switzerland.
While the situation is fluid, volatile, and impossible to predict with precision, I think it is still possible to project the general outcome and the broader implications. Whether the US declares victory and leaves or rolls the dice on a full-scale ground invasion, the outcome is likely to be the same. There is an overwhelming probability in my view that the Iranian government will endure and retain an acknowledged veto power over the world's most important energy corridor.
It is simply a question of how we get there - either through a quick US capitulation or through US capitulation after a long, bloody, and ultimately fruitless ground invasion. The implications of that likely outcome are historical. The US failing to achieve its objectives in Iran would not be just a military setback. It would be something far worse: a public demonstration that the US is no longer the superpower many once believed it to be. It is perhaps comparable to Britain’s 1956 Suez Canal Crisis, when the UK failed to impose its will on a far weaker Egypt. It was a public display that showed the world the British Empire was finished. That is why Hormuz matters so much.
If the US were unable to reopen the Strait on its own terms - or if it had to accept a world in which Tehran effectively decides who passes, under what rules, and at what cost—the message would be unmistakable. It would signal to allies, rivals, and markets alike that the world’s leading superpower can no longer guarantee the flow of commerce through the most important energy corridor on Earth.
In that sense, losing Hormuz would be America’s Suez: not just a tactical failure, but a visible geopolitical downgrade with profound implications for US credibility and the structure of the world order. And that is what I believe is likely to happen in the weeks ahead. But most people - and certainly not the financial markets - have not yet wrapped their heads around this geopolitical earthquake.
Conclusion: In my view, the base-case scenario is that the Iranian government will survive and continue to control Hormuz. Iran will have demonstrated to the world that it retains control over the world’s most important energy corridor despite everything the world’s greatest military threw at it. In short, the US will suffer an unambiguous strategic defeat. As a result, I believe US global power will continue to recede within the emerging multipolar world order. We could look back on Trump’s reckless Iran gamble as the incident that marked the end of the US as the world’s leading power.
The larger implication? We are likely witnessing the end of US global dominance, much like the fall of the British Empire in the wake of the world wars and the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis, but significantly more consequential. In other words, no matter what happens, I’m confident the outcome of the Iran war will make it clear to the world that the emperor has no clothes."
"All Hell Breaks Loose as War Restarts With Iran After Missiles Strike US Warship Ship in UAE"
Full screen recommended.
OPTM, 5/4/26
"All Hell Breaks Loose as War Restarts With Iran
After Missiles Strike US Warship Ship in UAE"
Comments here:
Bill Bonner, "Tapped Out"
"Tapped Out"
by Bill Bonner
- The US is in a league of its own when it comes to its debt burden,
as rating agencies bemoan ‘long-running deterioration’ in fiscal governance."
- Fortune Magazine
Rancho Santana, Nicaragua - "Last week, we were baffled. This week we are merely puzzled. How could there be such a difference between the macro picture - prominently featuring the two out-of-control empire killers, debt and war...both clearly cruisin’ for a bruisin’...And the US stock market, prominently featuring approximately $30 trillion of ‘value’ that really doesn’t exist? (Estimates vary, depending on how you figure it. If the stock market were s’posed to be only 100% of GDP, it would have to wipe out the equivalent of 150% of GDP - or $45 trillion - to get back to where it ought to be.) We’re not predicting anything. We’re just pointing out the risk of the Big Loss is right in front of our eyes.
In the meantime... Here’s a good move by POTUS, USA Today: "US will withdraw 5K troops from Germany, Pentagon says." It is perfectly obvious to everyone that the US is not needed to defend Europe. The EU has a GDP of $20 trillion. Russia’s GDP is less than $3 trillion. Can Europe defend itself? Against what? Russia has its hands full just trying to get control over a fairly narrow, Russian speaking part of the Eastern Ukraine, where the people overwhelmingly voted to join the Russian Federation.
But there are powerful lobbies that want to keep US troops stationed all over the world. And they’ve got (paid) friends in Washington. Newsweek: "The Republican leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services committees have raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany, a key ally of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)."
So, Trump, good on you. It’s too bad the that proximate cause of his decision was based on personal pique over the Germans’ reluctance to join his latest misadventure. But that’s the trouble with Trump, even when he does the right thing, it’s for the wrong reasons. And whatever good is achieved, if any, is undermined by the next Executive Order.
Cutting taxes, for example, was not necessarily a bad idea. But increased spending eliminated the benefit. So did the ‘tariff’ program, which acts as a tax increase on Americans. Getting rid of immigrant ‘rapists and murderers’ was something we could all get behind. But the next thing we knew masked stormtroopers were grabbing our much-needed gardeners and burger flippers.
And there’s the attack on Iran itself. A big promise of the Trump Team was that its ‘drill, baby drill’ would lower oil prices. The cheaper oil, along with lower taxes, was meant to drive spending, tax collection, and GDP growth. But then, the big dope gets led into a jackass war and the most important oil valve in the world is closed. Brent Crude has nearly doubled since the shooting started.
All of these contradictory policies were advertised as the product of Trump’s multi-dimensional genius. But even the New York Times is finally catching on to what this ‘genius’ is all about. “America is Officially an Empire in Decline,” says a weekend headline.
The old gray lady is about a quarter of a century late...(the War in Iraq was the beginning of the decline)...and where the ‘officially’ comes in, we don’t know. But up on 8th Ave they’re finally figuring out what The Donald is a genius at...and what he is meant (by history) to do. Stay tuned. Tomorrow...how turning off the oil tap is likely to play out."
"Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 5/4/26"
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 5/4/26
"Prof. Jeffrey Sachs: Trump's Ship Is Sinking"
Comments here:
o
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 5/4/26
"Scott Ritter: Putin's Long War; Trump's Quick Defeat"
Comments here:
"Iran Destroys All IDF Supply Lines - 120,000 Soldiers Starving, Israel Stunned Badly Now"
Prof. Mohammad Marandi, 5/4/26
"Iran Destroys All IDF Supply Lines -
120,000 Soldiers Starving, Israel Stunned Badly Now"
"In just 5 days, Iran executed a flawless, multi-phase campaign that completely destroyed Israel’s supply lines. Ports obliterated, bridges shattered, depots destroyed, and airfields cratered - leaving 120,000 IDF soldiers stranded without fuel, ammunition, or food. This detailed military analysis breaks down exactly how it happened, the brutal logistics math, and why even the United States couldn’t save them. A historic strategic shift in the Middle East is unfolding right now. Watch the full breakdown and share your thoughts in the comments."
Comments here:
o
Scott Ritter, 5/4/26
"Iran Wipes Out 90% of IDF Food Supply -
50 Su-24s, 500 UAVs - 72 Hours Before Starvation"
"I spent thirty years studying military logistics and campaign planning. Every serious student of military history knows the truth that modern defense establishments have spent fifty years trying to forget: armies do not collapse at the front. They collapse at the rear. Fifty Iranian Su-24s and five hundred UAVs just proved that truth against the IDF in the most operationally precise logistics interdiction strike in modern military history. Ninety percent of IDF forward food supply destroyed in a single engagement window. One hundred and twenty thousand frontline soldiers running on seventy-two hours of carried emergency rations. Tonight I explain exactly what that countdown means - and why Washington cannot stop it in time."
Comments here:
o
Col. Douglas Macgregor, 5/4/26
"Iran Destroys 15 IDF Depots, 50,000 Tons of
Ammo Gone, Northern Front Dead in 48 Hours"
"In 48 hours, Iran destroyed 15 IDF ammunition depots and eliminated 50,000 tons of carefully stockpiled weapons - the entire material foundation of Israel's northern front combat power. Artillery batteries fell silent. Tank crews sat stranded on positions they could no longer defend. Precision strike packages were cancelled permanently. The northern front didn't collapse under enemy fire - it collapsed because everything needed to fight had been surgically removed before a single ground engagement began. This is the complete operational breakdown of how Iran executed the most devastating ammunition interdiction campaign in modern military history - and why Washington had no answer."
Comments here:
o
Stipendium peccati mors est, Israel.
And here's a little tune for you while you wait...
Dan, I Allegedly, "History Is Repeating - And This Time It’s Bigger"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 5/4/26
"History Is Repeating - And This Time It’s Bigger"
"The economy is showing serious warning signs, and history may be repeating itself. In this video, Dan from i Allegedly breaks down the striking similarities between today’s economic conditions and the 1973 oil embargo. With energy prices rising, inflation sticking around, and over 20% of the world’s oil supply moving through the Strait of Hormuz, the risks facing the global economy are bigger than most people realize. At the same time, Americans are struggling to keep up. From record spending on gasoline to a surge in pawn shop activity and declining consumer spending, the cracks are forming everywhere. This video connects the dots between rising fuel costs, market vulnerability, and the real-life financial pressure hitting everyday people right now. If you want to understand where the economy is headed next, this is a must-watch."
Comments here:
Adventures With Danno, "Massive Price Increases At Walmart!"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 5/4/26
"Massive Price Increases At Walmart!"
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
Finance Hour, 5/4/26
"People Don't Realize What's About to
Hit Grocery Stores This Summer"
"People don't realize what's about to hit grocery stores this summer. In mid-March 2026 the United States fertilizer supply was at 75 percent of normal levels at the exact moment Corn Belt farmers were preparing their soil for planting. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries approximately one-third of all internationally traded fertilizer, has been effectively closed since February 28th when Iran shut it in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. Some fertilizers rose more than 40 percent in just one month after the war began according to research by Florida International University professor Aya Chacar published in The Conversation. Cereal plants absorb the vast majority of their nitrogen needs during early growth. Reducing nitrogen application by 10 to 15 percent or delaying application by two to four weeks can reduce corn yields by 10 to 25 percent. Farmers who fear not being able to optimize their yields are deciding right now to plant less corn or switch to soybeans which need less fertilizer. Either choice reduces the corn supply.
Corn is not just a vegetable. Corn is animal feed, high-fructose corn syrup in thousands of processed foods, ethanol blended into gasoline, and the raw material for plastics and packaging. The USDA projected a 3.1 percent average increase in all food prices for 2026 using data collected before the war began. That forecast is already obsolete. The U.S. beef cattle inventory has shrunk to its lowest level since 1962 after a combination of persistent drought and high costs in 2022 forced producers to kill 13.3 percent of the national beef cow herd, the highest proportion ever recorded. Farm-level cattle prices were 26.5 percent higher in August 2025 than the previous year. Beef and veal prices were 15 percent higher in January 2026 than January 2025. Avian influenza has resulted in the culling of more than 185 million birds since 2022, the largest animal disease event in American history. Egg prices hit an all-time average high of $6.23 per dozen before declining and the flock remains one outbreak away from another price explosion.
Cornell University professor Christopher Barrett told Newsweek that labor accounts for half the cost of food in your grocery cart and that the food system is especially dependent on foreign-born workers. Current immigration policy and deportation tactics are creating labor shortages that drive up food system workforce costs. University of Minnesota economist Kjetil Storesletten told CNBC that the price of food is going to move quite a lot and that the increased fertilizer price will be passed through to food entirely because farmers, processors, and retailers operate in low-margin industries.
The ABA/Farmer Mac Agricultural Lender Survey projects that only 52 percent of U.S. farm borrowers will be profitable this year. The Federal Bank of Chicago reported estimated crop losses of $10 billion for soybeans, $20 billion for corn, and $8.5 billion for wheat. Farm bankruptcies are soaring. Farm debt is set to hit a record high. The Farm Bill has not been reauthorized and is operating on its third extension of the 2018 law. The government shutdown froze financial assistance to farmers during critical crop-planning season. SNAP benefits face a $295 billion cut over the next decade, a 36 percent reduction, the largest in the program's 90-year history. Work requirements are expanding to ages 55 to 64. Benefits will be cut approximately $100 per month for 600,000 low-income households. Fourteen percent of U.S. households reported food insecurity between January and October 2025 according to Purdue University, up from 12.5 percent in 2024. In New York City 40 percent of families cannot afford weekly food costs according to Robin Hood and Columbia University. One in three Americans skipped a meal in the past year according to the Century Foundation. The U.N. World Food Program predicts an additional 45 million people worldwide could face hunger by end of 2026.
The International Fresh Produce Association warned that produce cannot be stockpiled and that as energy prices rise they drive higher consumer prices while natural gas becoming a premium commodity raises costs for plastic food packaging. American grocery stores operate on a 72-hour inventory cycle. Three days of food on the shelves at any given time. Seven simultaneous crises are converging on the American food system this summer: the fertilizer disruption from Hormuz, the cattle herd at a 64-year low, the avian flu fragility, the farm labor deportation, the farm financial crisis, the SNAP cuts, and summer heat stress on crops livestock and cold storage infrastructure. Not one of them has a solution that arrives before your grocery bill does."
Comments here:
"Economic Market Snapshot 5/4/26"
"Economic Market Snapshot 5/4/26"
.jpeg)
Down the rabbit hole of psychopathic greed and insanity...
Only the consequences are real - to you!
○
"It's a Big Club, and you ain't in it.
You and I are not in the Big Club."
- George Carlin
o
Market Data Center, Live Updates:
○
○
Financial Stress Index
"The OFR Financial Stress Index (OFR FSI) is a daily market-based snapshot of stress in global financial markets. It is constructed from 33 financial market variables, such as yield spreads, valuation measures, and interest rates. The OFR FSI is positive when stress levels are above average, and negative when stress levels are below average. The OFR FSI incorporates five categories of indicators: credit, equity valuation, funding, safe assets and volatility. The FSI shows stress contributions by three regions: United States, other advanced economies, and emerging markets."
○
Job cuts and much more.
○
○
○
○
○
○
Commentary, highly recommended:
○
"The more I see of the monied classes,
the better I understand the guillotine."
- George Bernard Shaw
○
Oh yeah... beyond words. Any I know anyway...
○
And now... The End Game...
o
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)