"We Are Witnessing A Last Minute Mass Exodus Before The Final Collapse Of Our Major Cities"

Full screen recommended.

"We Are Witnessing A Last Minute Mass Exodus 

Before The Final Collapse Of Our Major Cities"

by Epic Economist

"Americans have been massively relocating from turbulent big cities to find better living conditions in suburban and rural areas, as urban centers across the nation are falling apart and it is getting increasingly dangerous and expensive to live in such places. The phenomenon known as The Great Relocation started in 2020, right after the health crisis burst, but according to a recent survey, most residents relocating weren't doing so because they feared the effects of the virus. Instead, they affirmed to be seeking better living standards and affordable housing for their families in safer locations. 

An upsurge of severe delinquencies and public offenses is being registered in major metropolitan areas, many of which used to thrive before business activity was repeatedly interrupted by lockdowns last year. Consequently, a mass exodus from big cities began as residents faced the collapse of their local economies. The trend is likely to pick up speed in 2021, considering at least 20% more people revealed plans to move this year, and as millions of Americans can already see that our society is melting down all around us, soon enough they will also want to move to safer locations while it is still possible to do so. That's what we're going to analyze in this video. 

Recently, numerous news are reporting a spike in migrating tendencies all across the country. Many of them have been outlining how Americans are fleeing big cities in droves to escape the virus. But what the mainstream media is failing to address is that the health crisis isn't the main driver behind most people's decision to move away. Its consequences, on the other hand, have contributed to the fast deterioration of our living standards. But the truth is that over the past years, large urban centers have gotten incredibly expensive and unsafe. And in face of a closed down economy, more and more residents who previously moved in expecting to find better opportunities and experience life in the city, have actually found themselves trapped in their homes, for which they pay elevated rent or mortgage prices, while witnessing the rise of social turbulence and public offenses, and the decay of local economies. 

In face of such a scenario, living in big cities is becoming progressively unattractive, and millions of Americans have been permanently leaving metropolitan regions to actually escape from the effects of the cities' economic breakdown. According to Susan Wachter, a professor of real estate and finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the demographic shifts occurring right now are likely to be long-term. Unlike earlier in the crisis, it is believed now that people are making permanent moves, not just temporary relocations to escape the virus.

For a long time now, experts have warned that there would be a crushing amount of demand for available housing as hordes of Americans suddenly began to relocate last year. They stressed, however, that America's housing inventory wouldn't be able to meet all of the requests for new homes, which would cause prices to soar while creating a major imbalance on the housing market. Needless to say, that's exactly where we are right now. 

According to a recent survey, over 20% more people are planning to move in 2021 than moved in 2020. Data has shown that the majority of these movers aren’t relocating due to safety concerns related to the health crisis like many would have imagined. Even though the health crisis has greatly impacted many lives, and reshaped society as we knew, the main deciding factor to relocate to smaller communities was the possibility of having more living space, being cited by about 40% of respondents, while 18% of respondents said they would move as a result of job flexibility, with most of them revealing they are ultimately doing so to lower their cost of living.

The same goes for businesses. In recent months, many corporations based out of Silicon Valley have decided to leave California. Large corporations like Hewlett Packard Enterprise have announced plans to move to cities like Houston. A similar trend is also occurring in New York, the country’s financial capital. The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Stacey Cunningham, affirmed to have plans to leave New York and go to Florida to avoid taxes. 

Considering both businesses and residents have been running off U.S. major urban centers, once the business activity resumes later this year, the economic landscape of several cities that used to lead our country's economy will be marked by empty storefronts and empty streets. Sadly, no part of this nation will be immune to the challenges ahead, and as global events have been rapidly accelerating, we should all get somewhere safe while we still can."

- http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com

Musical Interlude: Neil H, "Mystic Journey"

Neil H, "Mystic Journey"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“The Pelican Nebula is changing. The entire nebula, officially designated IC 5070, is divided from the larger North America Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The Pelican, however, is particularly interesting because it is an unusually active mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds. 

The featured picture was processed to bring out two main colors, red and blue, with the red dominated by light emitted by interstellar hydrogen. Ultraviolet light emitted by young energetic stars is slowly transforming cold gas in the nebula to hot gas, with the advancing boundary between the two, known as an ionization front, visible in bright red across the image center. Particularly dense tentacles of cold gas remain. Millions of years from now this nebula might no longer be known as the Pelican, as the balance and placement of stars and gas will surely leave something that appears completely different.”

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

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"In a universe devoid of life, any life at all would be immensely meaningful. We ARE that meaning. "And what we see, "says the poet Mary Oliver, "is the world that cannot cherish us, but which we cherish." As though life itself is the great, universal, unrequited love of all time. But there is even more to this. Deep mystery. We are the universe aware of itself. We let the miracle get lost in distractions. On a planet so rich with living companions, much of humanity sentences itself to solitary confinement. Late at night, I used to lie in my boat listening to radio calls from ships to families ashore. There was only one conversation, and it boils down to, "I love you and I miss you: come home safe." Connections make us individuals. Ironic, isn't it? The more connected, the more unique our life becomes."

- Carl Safina

Gregory Mannarino, PM 3/1/21 "Alert! The Federal Reserve Appears To Have Begun Yield Curve Control"

Gregory Mannarino, PM 3/1/21

"Alert! The Federal Reserve 

Appears To Have Begun Yield Curve Control"

- https://traderschoice.net/

"Only One Way Out"

"Only One Way Out"

By Bill Bonner

YOUGHAL, IRELAND – Here’s The New York Times, describing how the Republican Party has ceased being conservative… “When Donald Trump Jr. jokingly called the gathering ‘TPAC’ instead of CPAC – ‘It’s what it feels like, guys!” he said – it felt less like an awkward joke and more a statement of 2021 reality.’ Or, as The Washington Post concluded: 'It’s Donald Trump’s party.'

Travel Update: Our trip to Ireland took three days, with three separate COVID tests. There are few travelers, but getting through airports is slower than ever. Each country has its own pandemic requirements. Entering or leaving, you have to show the proof they want – which is not always easy to get. The Netherlands, for example, requires a Rapid Test done no more than four hours before the flight. Avianca Airlines, meanwhile, wants its test at least 36 hours before takeoff. Everybody wants proof that you are not a plague-carrier. And there are masks, masks, and more masks. You must wear them all the time – in airports, on planes, in taxis… even entering and leaving restaurants (though you’re allowed to take them off to eat!).

Whether any of this makes any difference to the death toll, we don’t know. All we know for sure is that makers of face masks, hand disinfectants, and clear plastic must have struck gold last year. Everywhere you go, you find someone behind a plastic shield. Hotel desk clerks, ticket agents, restaurant maître d’s… everyone is now protected.

New Variant: Yes, it’s one for the history books. Not since the invention of contraceptives have prophylactic measures been so popular. But back then, they were intended to prevent life. Now, they’re supposed to prevent death. And, despite the new vaccines, the fear does not seem to be easing.

Here in Ireland, we are forced to quarantine at home for two weeks – despite the many tests we’ve just undergone. But yesterday, some neighbors came over to say hello. Keeping a safe distance, they explained: “We’ve already had our shots. But there are new strains. This UK variant, as they call it, is already here in Ireland. And it’s much worse than the original virus. We don’t know whether the vaccine is effective against it or not. It’s much more infectious, and it kills young people. It looks like the whole game might have changed. We’re not sure.”

But let’s leave the plague news… and turn back to our usual beat.

No Change: There are two tried-and-true ways to blow up a great empire: War and inflation. As predicted in this space… there has been no significant change between the Trump team and the Biden bunch. So, like a condemned man… the election only gave us a chance to choose between the Democrats’ noose and the Trumpistas’ firing squad. As to the eternal war, Joe Biden played his part last week, keeping the military/industrial/Deep State in the chips. He bomb, bomb, bombed Syria.

Most Americans have no interest… and no reason to have an interest… in the tribal conflicts of the Mideast. But for the people who make bombs, it is a big deal. It’s the difference between a modest beach house on the Maryland shore… or a real Obama-style mansion in Martha’s Vineyard. Yes, the dopey “War on Terror” continues, with both groups of self-serving Republicano-Democrats fully behind it. Here’s The Guardian: "Diplomacy is back!” President Joe Biden declared at the Munich Security Conference last week. But so is bombing Syria, apparently. Biden has only been president a bit more than a month, but he has already ordered his first bombing campaign. (It took Trump four months to do the same.) The target was facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran-backed militia in retaliation for rocket attacks against US troops in Iraq earlier this month."

And here’s Fox News, letting us know that the Trumpistas are fully on board: "Former Trump administration official: Biden administration ‘made right call in taking out’ terrorists."

And here’s Philip Giraldi, former CIA Operations officer in the Middle East, summing up: "Biden’s Journey: Change Is Imperceptible." "Biden has been a major disappointment for those who hoped that he’d change course regarding America’s pathological involvement in overseas conflicts. […]To be sure, when a new administration brings in a bunch of “old hands” who made their bones by attacking Syria and Libya while also assassinating American citizens by drone one might hope that those mistakes might have served as valuable “lessons learned.” Or maybe not… […]President Joe Biden has already made it clear that Syria will continue to be targeted with sanctions as well as with American soldiers based on its soil. And no one will be leaving Afghanistan any time soon. The Biden team will only let up when Afghanistan is “secure” and there is regime change in Damascus."

Or when Hell freezes over!

Temporary Prosperity: We will approach this war/inflation tar baby from another angle later this week. But today, we keep it simple. LGBTQ… rights? Cutting off teenagers’ private parts? Anti-racism? Confederate statues? Rip-offs? Boondoggles? Power grids? COVID-19? Annoying? Yes. Deadly? Perhaps.

But the only proven path to wreck a nation is the old-fashioned way: killing and stealing… war and inflation… mass homicide and industrial-scale counterfeiting – that’s how to get the job done. As Hemingway reminds us, they produce a “temporary prosperity” and a more “permanent ruin.” Donald Trump played his part – with more money-printing than ever before in the history of North America. And now, the Trump Party offers no real resistance to the Democrats’ big-spending plans.

Inflation Update: So, how’s the new team doing on the inflation front? Looking right smart, as they say in Southern Maryland. From The New York Times: "House passes $1.9 trillion stimulus as Democrats work to salvage wage raise." "The House passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan early Saturday in a nearly party-line vote, advancing a sweeping pandemic aid package that would provide billions of dollars for unemployed Americans, struggling families and businesses, schools and the distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

The vote was 219 to 212, with Democrats pushing the measure over unanimous Republican opposition. After hours of debate that stretched past midnight, two Democrats – Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon – broke with their party and voted against the bill.

The plan would provide $1,400 direct payments to individuals earning up to $75,000 a year and to couples earning up to $150,000. It would also expand a weekly federal unemployment benefit that is set to lapse in mid-March, increasing the payments to $400 a week from $300 and extending them through the end of August. It would increase the child tax credit; provide more than $50 billion for vaccine distribution, testing and tracing; and allocate nearly $200 billion to primary and secondary schools and $350 billion to state, local and tribal governments."

We’re now looking at a deficit for this year that is more than the entire federal budget just 10 years ago.

One Way Out: And what’s the point? It’s billed as a “COVID relief” package. But relief against what? The coronavirus doesn’t care how much fake money you pass out. And incomes are already at their highest point ever – thanks to previous federal giveaways. Adding more giveaways is merely digging a deeper hole for the giver to get into. Already, the hole is so deep, there is no honorable or honest way out. Which leaves the dishonest, shameful escape tunnel – inflation. Critics say it is far too early to worry about inflation. Perhaps they are right. But you don’t want to wait until the last minute, either.

Tomorrow, we skip ahead in the "Big Black Book of Financial Disasters." Stay tuned…"

- www.rogueeconomics.com

The Poet: Mary Oliver, "Coming Home"

"Coming Home"

"When we are driving in the dark,

on the long road to Provincetown,

when we are weary,

when the buildings and the scrub pines lose their familiar look,

I imagine us rising from the speeding car.

I imagine us seeing everything from another place-

the top of one of the pale dunes, or the deep and nameless

fields of the sea.

And what we see is a world that cannot cherish us,

but which we cherish.

And what we see is our life moving like that

along the dark edges of everything,

headlights sweeping the blackness,

believing in a thousand fragile and unprovable things.

Looking out for sorrow,

slowing down for happiness,

making all the right turns

right down to the thumping barriers to the sea,

the swirling waves,

the narrow streets, the houses,

the past, the future,

the doorway that belongs

to you and me."

- Mary Oliver

The Daily "Near You?"

Roosevelt, Utah, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"Party Like It’s 1984"

"Party Like It’s 1984"

by Jim Kunstler

"Chalk up a fatal blow to The Patriarchy. That avatar of toxic masculinity, Mr. Potato Head has been dumped into the same humid chamber of perdition where the ghosts of Nathan Bedford Forrest, Theodore Bilbo, and Phyllis Schlafly howl and squirm - liberating the billions of potatoes world-wide from the mental prison of binary sexuality. The move by Hasbro (bro? really??) may yet disappoint the legions in Wokesterdom as a-bridge-not-far-enough while they await the debut of Transitioning Potato Head, complete with play hormone syringe and play scalpel, so that the under-six crowd can begin to map out their own gender reassignments without the meddling of Adult 1 and Adult 2, formerly known as Mommy and Daddy.

Was it mere coincidence that the action in Toyland happened the same week that one Rachel Levine was grilled in his Senate confirmation hearing for the post as Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services? The hearing tilted toward transphobia when Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) asked zie, a little too aggressively, if they were in favor of pubescent children opting for sexual reassignment in opposition to xyr parents. The nominee, who hirself transitioned from “male” to “female” in 2011, answered that transgender medical issues are “complex and nuanced.” True (perhaps). And probably more than a Senator who transitioned from ophthalmologist to politician might appreciate.

Such are the great preoccupations of American leadership in these late days of empire. Are their any “historic firsts” left for Progressives to achieve in the march to a transhuman nirvana? An “undocumented” president? Animal representation in the House and Senate? A-I “entities” qualifying for public office - Governor Smartphone? Let’s face it, the pitiful old school humans in charge of things for so long are making a hash of our affairs. A cash register could probably do a better job as Chairman of the Federal Reserve than the always-waffley Jerome Powell. And a MacBook Pro might make a better president than Joe Biden in the brief daily operational hours before his managers a “call a lid.” We’d have to come up with some new personal pronouns for them, of course.

Pundits and observers-of-the-scene have warned us that all this artificially-generated turmoil over the sex-of-things is but one part of the prelude to a “Great Reset” in which people the world over are to be herded into corrals of ultra-regulated behavior. Of course, steers and cows are easier to push around than bulls, and the technology for transforming bulls into steers - or men in to eunuchs - is not that complex or nuanced. The question is: will enough American men submit to castration, either chemical, financial, political, or literal? Maybe not.

Cheerleaders for the Great Reset underestimate woefully the factor of disorder in the system they so crave to hegemonize. Disorder is exactly what the system is expressing, and in direct proportion to the wishes of authorities to exert tyrannical control over populations. Not only will the disorders get worse, but their effects will go increasingly non-linear, producing unintended consequences. Has anyone noticed that the psychopathic Woke curricula of Higher Ed have mirrored the collapsing business model of the colleges and universities? The more trouble they got themselves into with the loan racket, the crazier the faculty was allowed to act - as far as calling for the extermination of white people and the cancellation of Western Civ. Both the broken business model and intellectual rot will bring down many of these institutions, and quicker than you might believe. And then you will have no Higher Ed. People get what they deserve, not what they expect.

It’s been entertaining, for sure, but as we enter the 2021 springtime, with the banking system coming apart and markets wobbling, and more Americans evicted from both their living quarters and the middle-class, and conflicts between the state and federal governments, and new bouts of street-fighting, looting, and murder in the cities, it won’t be so amusing anymore. There will be a lot more to worry about than the gender of toys.

There isn’t a chance in hell that all Americans will get herded into a corral of cashless, digital currency that amounts to financial castration. Too many of us value the liberty of not having our every money transaction tracked by some Big Brother. As the dollar fails, Texas and Florida may be moved to issue their own currencies, and other states could follow their leads - may even follow them into an epic political realignment independent of the Beltway Swamp. And many citizens of this land have had enough of Google, Facebook, and the rest of the tech monopolies interfering in politics and pushing everyone around. The time has come for the heads of those outfits to start worrying about their own liberty."

- https://kunstler.com/

"Grave Faults..."

“Only the following items should be considered to be grave faults: not respecting another's rights; allowing oneself to be paralyzed by fear; feeling guilty; believing that one does not deserve the good or ill that happens in one's life; being a coward. We will love our enemies, but not make alliances with them. They were placed in our path in order to test our sword, and we should, out of respect for them, struggle against them. We will choose our enemies.”

- Paulo Coelho, "Like the Flowing River"

"Economic Market Snapshot AM 3/1/21"

"Economic Market Snapshot AM 3/1/21"

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"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will

do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."

- John Maynard Keynes

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"Down the rabbit hole of psychopathic greed and insanity...

Only the consequences are real - to you!

Your guide:

Gregory Mannarino, AM 3/1/21

"Markets:

 Keep Your Eyes On The 10 Year Yield!”

- https://traderschoice.net/

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"The more I see of the monied classes, 

the better I understand the guillotine."

- George Bernard Shaw

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MarketWatch Market Summary, Live Updates

- https://www.marketwatch.com/tools/marketsummary

CNN Market Data:

- https://money.cnn.com/data/markets/

CNN Fear And Greed Index:

- https://money.cnn.com/data/fear-and-greed/

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A comprehensive, essential daily read.

- http://www.shadowstats.com/

Feb 28th to March 1st, Updated Daily 

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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."

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Daily Job Cuts

- https://www.dailyjobcuts.com/

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- https://www.zerohedge.com/

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- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

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- https://wallstreetonparade.com/

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- https://www.whatreallyhappened.com/

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- https://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/

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Commentary, highly recommended:

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

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And now, the End Game...

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Oh yeah...

"Straight Talk On Covid"

"Straight Talk On Covid"

Bob Moriarty

"It’s been right at a year now since the Wuhan/Covid Bio-terror program began. At first the world was forced by a lack of information to believe everything the “Experts” said and the media pounded home. Today we know better, after all, we have a year’s real data to justify or to disprove what we were told. We know the “Experts” overstated the danger by an order of magnitude. We have ample evidence that we have been lied to and manipulated all along. Actually we know that virtually everything the trusted “Experts” maintained was dead wrong and the mainstream media simply out pimped their worst lies of the past.

I’m going to present a number of articles and videos which make it clear that there was a flu, it killed people and should be avoided where possible. Just as the flu kills people and should be avoided every year.

For those short of time or patience, do watch this thirty-minute video of a medical doctor talking about Covid and what can be done about it. To give you some idea of the degree to which you are being manipulated and told what you can and cannot think try entering Dr. Lee Merrit into YouTube’s search function. You will not be directed to the video. That’s not an accident. YouTube does not want you to know about the total fraud that has been perpetuated on the world in the name of a minor seasonal flu. Now on to the most informative discussion of the flu that I have found from Dr. Lee Merrit.

There actually is no pandemic. We now have a year’s data that clearly shows the mortality rate is virtually the same as in past years even though we know the forced lockdown, economic depression caused by the government shutting down the economy and deaths due to suicide, alcohol and drugs have surged. It’s not the flu killing people, it's the response of the government. The cure is worst than the disease.

There is a flu dangerous to a small segment of our society. We know how to mitigate the effects. As Dr. Merrit explains above a simple dose of Vitamin D daily improves our chances of not getting the flu or if we get it, reduces the severity. We also know that HCQ can help to reduce the time it takes to get over the disease. We are not allowed to read about HCQ or use it because President Trump said it might be effective. The Deep State hated Trump and tried for 4.5 years to dump him. They were not about to allow him to make a perfectly reasonable suggestion supported by a legion of real doctors.

We also know and understand that a common and cheap anti-parasite drug from Australia often stops the virus in its tracks. But Ivermectin costs $2 a dose and can be found at any farm supply store so Fauci and the MSM is not about to suggest a cure that doesn’t put billions of dollars in the pockets of big Pharma. Fauci would far rather see tens of thousands of people die without a cheap treatment.

But what of Saint Fauci, worshipped by the MSM. He’s the highest paid government official in the United States and also the loudest shill for Big Pharma on the flu. In March of last year Fauci was interviewed on 60 Minutes and was quoted as saying, “There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.” YouTube has suppressed that video for obvious reasons since Dr. Fauci has had a change of heart about the use of masks.

In August he maintained that for public health safety everyone should wear a mask. Then he realized even more protection was needed than merely a facemask so he recommended not only a facemask but also goggles for maximum protection. In January of 2021 Dr. Fauci updated his mask recommendation to that of wearing two masks instead of just one, saying, “It just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective.” A full week later Dr. Fauci backtracked one more time saying, “if you really wanna have an extra little bit of protection, maybe I should put two masks on. There's nothing wrong with that, but there's no data that indicates that that is gonna make a difference and that's the reason why the CDC has not changed their recommendations.”

So there you have it. The leading “Expert” in the United States and highest paid public government official has made it clear that,

• You don’t need a mask.

• You do need a mask.

• You need a mask and goggles.

• You really need two masks, it makes sense.

• But you don’t need two masks.

Kary Mullis the inventor of the PCR test, the Gold Standard of testing that gave the US an infection rate five times higher than the rest of the world knew Dr. Fauci and had his own opinion as to his qualifications. Kary Mullis maintained that the PCR test was useless for detecting a disease. The WHO has finally admitted that PRC has a giant flaw. While the CDC and NIH recommend using 40 cycles to determine presence of a virus, even Fauci admits that anything over 27 cycles generates too many false positive signals. Actually of the 28 million cases that the US claims, over 80% were false positive results due to using too many cycles in an ineffective and basically flawed testing procedure.

John Rubio of Dollar Collapse had a brilliant article on the “Experts” back in January talking about why hardly anyone trusts the virus experts. Even the WHO has finally admitted that lockdowns not be used as a primary control method because they cause so much other damage and don’t stop the flu.

But what of the so-called magic bullet, the vaccine. First of all, it is not a vaccine. Vaccines contain particles of the original virus or germ. What is being called a vaccine is actually a highly dangerous and untested permanent gene modification. The MSM mocked DJT for months after he maintained that there would be this gene therapy before the end of 2020. The election came and went and as if by magic the “Vaccine” appeared as if it just popped out of nowhere.

So the issue now is the safety or lack of safety in the gene therapy. Doctors from around the world have issued their own warning "Do not get the Covid Vaccine!!” Numbers are starting to come out as to how safe the “Vaccine” is. In the UK Care Home “Covid” deaths have increased by 240% since vaccinations began. Some solution.

As discussed in the original interview with Dr. Lee Merrit, the mRNA gene therapy has not been tested and could cause the deaths of millions eventually. A young man in Israel was injected with the gene therapy. We can quickly see just how much it helped him.

The US has a new President and a new direction. On January 20th Joe Biden became President of the United States. One of his first actions that day was to dictate that no one would be allowed on any US Federal property without a facemask. A few hours later he became one of the first to ignore his own rule. In doing so he followed a long and hallowed tradition in government at all levels of telling taxpayers what the rules were for them and ignoring them as a government functionary. It comes under the “Do as I say, not as I do” rule closely followed by mayors, governors, local officials and Federal officials at all levels."

- http://www.321gold.com/

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Related:

"Is This Why 'New COVID Cases' Are Crashing?"

"COVID Propaganda Roundup: Mounting Evidence 

COVID-19 Created in Lab, After Vaccinations Still Cower in Fear"

"How It Really Is"

Musical Interlude: Leonard Cohen, “Hallelujah”

Leonard Cohen, “Hallelujah”

Musical Interlude: Simon & Garfunkel, "The Boxer"

Simon & Garfunkel, "The Boxer"

"Excellence..."

 

"Excellence Is not a skill. It is an attitude"

- Ralph Marston

"Ain't no man can avoid being born average, 

but there ain't no man got to be common."

- Satchell Paige

"What 'Normal' Are We Returning To? The Depression Nobody Dares Acknowledge"

"What 'Normal' Are We Returning To? 

he Depression Nobody Dares Acknowledge"

by Charles Hugh Smith

"Even as the chirpy happy-talk of a return to normal floods the airwaves, what nobody dares acknowledge is that "normal" for a rising number of Americans is the social depression of downward mobility and social defeat. Downward mobility is not a new trend - it's simply accelerating. As this RAND Corporation report documents, ("Trends in Income From 1975 to 2018") $50 trillion in earnings has been transferred to the Financial Aristocracy from the bottom 90% of American households over the past 45 years.

Time magazine's article on the report is remarkably direct: "The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90% - And That's Made the U.S. Less Secure." "The $50 trillion transfer of wealth the RAND report documents has occurred entirely within the American economy, not between it and its trading partners. No, this upward redistribution of income, wealth, and power wasn't inevitable; it was a choice -  direct result of the trickle-down policies we chose to implement since 1975.

We chose to cut taxes on billionaires and to deregulate the financial industry. We chose to allow CEOs to manipulate share prices through stock buybacks, and to lavishly reward themselves with the proceeds. We chose to permit giant corporations, through mergers and acquisitions, to accumulate the vast monopoly power necessary to dictate both prices charged and wages paid. We chose to erode the minimum wage and the overtime threshold and the bargaining power of labor. For four decades, we chose to elect political leaders who put the material interests of the rich and powerful above those of the American people."

I've been digging into downward mobility and social depression for years: "Are You Really Middle Class?" The reality is that the middle class has been reduced to the sliver just below the top 5% - if we use the standards of the prosperous 1960s as a baseline.

The downward mobility isn't just financial - it's a decline in political power, control of one's work and ownership of income-producing assets. This article reminds us of what the middle class once represented: "What Middle Class?" How bourgeois America is getting recast as a proletariat.

This reappraisal of the American Dream is also triggering a reappraisal of the middle class in the decades of widespread prosperity: "The Myth of the Middle Class: Have Most Americans Always Been Poor?" 



Downward mobility excels in creating and distributing what I term social defeat: In my lexicon, social defeat is the spectrum of anxiety, insecurity, chronic stress, fear and powerlessness that accompanies declining financial security and social status.

 Downward mobility and social defeat lead to social depression. Here are the conditions that characterize social depression:



1. High expectations of endlessly rising prosperity instilled as a birthright no longer align with economy reality.



2. Part-time and unemployed people are marginalized, not just financially but socially.



3. Widening income/wealth disparity as those in the top 10% pull away from the bottom 90%.



4. A systemic decline in social/economic mobility as it becomes increasingly difficult to move from dependence on the state or one's parents to financial independence.



5. A widening disconnect between higher education and employment: a college/university degree no longer guarantees a stable, good-paying job.



6. A failure in the Status Quo institutions and mainstream media to recognize social depression as a reality.



7. A systemic failure of imagination within state and private-sector institutions on how to address social depression issues.



8. The abandonment of middle class aspirations: young people no longer aspire to (or cannot afford) consumerist status symbols such as luxury autos or conventional homeownership.



9. A generational abandonment of marriage, families and independent households as these are no longer affordable to those with part-time or unstable employment.



10. A loss of hope in the young generations as a result of the above conditions.

 The rising tide of collective anger arising from social depression is visible in many places: road rage, violent street clashes between groups seething for a fight, the destruction of friendships for holding "incorrect" ideological views, and so on.



A coarsening of the entire social order is increasingly visible: "The Age of Rudeness." "Depressive thoughts (and the emotions they generate) tend to be self-reinforcing, and this is why it's so difficult to break out of depression once in its grip.

One part of the healing process is to expose the sources of anger that we are repressing. As psychiatrist Karen Horney explained in her 1950 masterwork, "Neurosis and Human Growth: The Struggle Towards Self-Realization," anger at ourselves sometimes arises from our failure to live up to the many "shoulds" we've internalized, and the idealized track we've laid out for ourselves and our lives.



The article "The American Dream Is Killing Us" does a good job of explaining how our failure to obtain the expected rewards of "doing all the right things" (getting a college degree, working hard, etc.) breeds resentment and despair.

 Since we did the "right things," the system "should" deliver the financial rewards and security we expected. This systemic failure to deliver the promised rewards is eroding the social contract and social cohesion. Fewer and fewer people have a stake in the system. We are increasingly angry at the system, but we reserve some anger for ourselves, because the mass-media trumpets how well the economy is doing and how some people are doing extremely well. Naturally, we wonder, why them and not us? The failure is thus internalized.



One response to this sense that the system no longer works as advertised is to seek the relative comfort of echo chambers - places we can go to hear confirmation that this systemic stagnation is the opposing ideological camp's fault.

 Part of the American Exceptionalism we hear so much about is a can-do optimism: set your mind to it and everything is possible. The failure to prosper as anticipated is generating a range of negative emotions that are "un-American": complaining that you didn't get a high-paying secure job despite having a college degree (or advanced degree) sounds like sour-grapes: the message is you didn't work hard enough, you didn't get the right diploma, etc. 

It can't be the system that's failed, right? 

I discuss this in my book "Why Our Status Quo Failed and Is Beyond Reform": the top 10% who are benefiting mightily dominate politics and the media, and their assumption is: the system is working great for me, so it must be working great for everyone. This implicit narrative carries an implicit accusation that any failure is the fault of the individual, not the system.

 The inability to express our despair and anger generates depression. Some people will redouble their efforts, others will seek to lay the blame on "the other" (some external group) and others will give up. What few people will do is look at the sources of systemic injustice and inequality. 

Perhaps we need an honest national dialog about declining expectations, rising inequality and the failure of the status quo that avoids polarization and the internalization trap (i.e. it's your own fault you're not well-off).

 We need to value honesty above fake happy-talk. Once we can speak honestly, there will be a foundation for optimism."

- https://www.oftwominds.com/

Must Watch! “Don’t Be Delusional, System Will Fail You”

Jeremiah Babe,

“Don’t Be Delusional, System Will Fail You”

"Eviction Moratorium Ruled Unconstitutional, Largest Tsunami Of Evictions In U.S. History Incoming"

Full screen mode recommended.

"Eviction Moratorium Ruled Unconstitutional,

Largest Tsunami Of Evictions In U.S. History Incoming"

by Epic Economist

"Right after the burst of the sanitary outbreak, a federal eviction moratorium was put into place to avoid the massive displacement of American renters amid a ravaging health crisis. The order has prevented landlords from evicting millions of tenants that were behind on their rent payments. On the other hand, all the rental debt accumulated since then didn't go away, and tenants are expected to pay for it at some point. Conversely, small landlords were sent to the brink of financial ruin after the measure was implemented, and many filed lawsuits against the moratorium, alleging it wasn't legal while also questioning CDC's authority to issue such a decree. 

Housing experts started to sound red alerts for a massive homelessness crisis in case the order expired or was removed, which prompted the government to extend the moratorium twice. However, last week, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas named John Campbell Barker finally heard landlords pleading, and now it's official: the moratorium was ruled unconstitutional, which means a tragic eviction tsunami is about to start. That's what we're going to expose in this video.

Last Thursday, John Campbell Barker, a judge in the Eastern District of Texas, issued the 21-page ruling responding to a lawsuit from a group of landlords and property managers. “The federal government cannot say that it has ever before invoked its power over interstate commerce to impose a residential eviction moratorium,” Barker wrote in his decision, remarking that it did not do so during the Spanish Flu health crisis or during the Great Depression. 

Although the order has helped millions of Americans to stay housed throughout the health crisis and one of the toughest winters ever recorded in all U.S. history, it also caused acute financial distress for many landlords, especially those who run small and mom-and-pop properties. Nearly half of the 49 million rental units in the U.S. are owned by individuals, who usually offer more affordable housing alternatives inside their own communities. 

Such small landlords have been particularly hard-hit by the consequences brought on by the health crisis, having to bear an enormous financial burden and left to deal with a responsibility that should have been properly addressed by the government. They are essentially at risk of losing their properties or having to face foreclosure since they have become unable to keep up with their mortgage payments. In that way, they are also on the brink of losing their main asset and their primary source of income. 

At the same time, the real estate crisis has also been fueled by businesses' rental debt, with many filing for bankruptcy since they couldn't make enough revenue to afford their maintenance bills. That is to say, the tsunami of bankruptcies happening since the burst of the crisis is directly impacting the real estate sector just as well, and according to several experts, the worst may be yet to come. 

Recent data exposes that while in 2019 there were 5,236 Chapter 11 filings, last year there were 6,917, which is roughly 30 percent higher than any of the previous four years.Considering bankruptcy filings underscore other signs of economic pain, researchers with the firm explained that the circumstances might get much more troublesome over the next months. Bankruptcies resultant from the 2007 financial crisis didn’t peak until 2010. 

The record low-interest rates that kept the markets heated and enabled the formation of several bubbles in the housing and stock markets, may undergo a fast increase as the economy reopens in the second half of 2021. As we mentioned in previous videos, chaos has returned to Wall Street as overly-inflated stock prices are finally being confronted by our bleak economic reality. Last Friday, the Dow declined another 469 points. 

Multiple investors can already feel that a whole lot more pain is coming, that's why they already began another major sell-off of Big Tech stocks and started to pursue safer assets. As our economy in the process of crumbling all around us, and a stock market crash is imminent, while the housing market bubble is quickly expanding, and, more worryingly, a considerable part of our population may lose their homes and inevitably enter a poverty spiral that could lead them to financial ruin, we can't afford to ignore the early warning signs to the next “trigger events” that will hit us in 2021 and beyond. Unfortunately, the troubles experienced in 2020 were just the beginning, and we still have enormous challenges ahead of us."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com

2002, "Sound of Still Water"

Full screen recommended.
2002, "Sound of Still Water"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“This pretty, open cluster of stars, M34, is about the size of the Full Moon on the sky. Easy to appreciate in small telescopes, it lies some 1,800 light-years away in the constellation Perseus. At that distance, M34 physically spans about 15 light-years. Formed at the same time from the same cloud of dust and gas, all the stars of M34 are about 200 million years young.

But like any open star cluster orbiting in the plane of our galaxy, M34 will eventually disperse as it experiences gravitational tides and encounters with the Milky Way's interstellar clouds and other stars. Over four billion years ago, our own Sun was likely formed in a similar open star cluster.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100211.html

Paulo Coelho, "Be Like a River"

"Be Like a River"

by Paulo Coelho

“A river never passes the same place twice,” says a philosopher. “Life is like a river,” says another philosopher, and we draw the conclusion that this is the metaphor that comes closest to the meaning of life. Consequently, it is always good to remember during all the year:

A] We are always doing things for the first time. While we move between our source (birth) to our destination (death), the landscape will always be new. We should face these novelties with joy, not with fear – because it is useless to fear what cannot be avoided. A river never stops running.

B] In a valley we walk slower. When everything around us becomes easier, the waters grow calm, we become more open, fuller and more generous.

C] Our banks are always fertile. Vegetation only grows where there is water. Whoever comes into contact with us needs to understand that we are there to give the thirsty something to drink.

D] Stones should be avoided. It is obvious that water is stronger than granite, but it takes time for this to happen. It is no good letting yourself be overcome by stronger obstacles, or trying to fight against them – that is a useless waste of energy. It is best to understand where the way out is, and then move forward.

E] Hollows call for patience. All of a sudden the river enters a sort of hole and stops running as joyfully as before. At such moments the only way out is to count on the help of time. When the right moment comes the hollow fills up and the water can flow ahead. In the place of the ugly, lifeless hole there now stands a lake that others can contemplate with joy.

F] We are one. We were born in a place that was meant for us, which will always keep us supplied with enough water so that when confronted with obstacles or depression we have the necessary patience or strength to move forward. We begin our course in a soft and fragile manner, where even a simple leaf can stop us. Nevertheless, as we respect the mystery of the source that gave us life, and trust in eternal wisdom, little by little we gain all that we need to pursue our path.

G] Although we are one, soon we shall be many. As we travel on, the waters of other springs come closer, because that is the best path to follow. Then we are no longer just one, but many – and there comes a moment when we feel lost. However, “all rivers flow to the sea.” It is impossible to remain in our solitude, no matter how romantic that may seem. When we accept the inevitable encounter with other springs, we eventually understand that this makes us much stronger, we get around obstacles or fill in the hollows in far less time and with greater ease.

H] We are a means of transportation. Of leaves, boats, ideas. May our waters always be generous, may be always be able to carry ahead everything or everyone that needs our help.

I] We are a source of inspiration. And so, let us leave the final words to the Brazilian poet, Manuel Bandeira:

“To be like a river that flows

silent through the night,

not fearing the darkness and

reflecting any stars high in the sky.

And if the sky is filled with clouds,

the clouds are water like the river, so

without remorse reflect them too.”

- http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2010/03/04/be-like-a-river/

"With The Years..."

“I was as afraid as the next man in my time and maybe more so. But with the years, fear had come to be regarded as a form of stupidity to be classed with overdrafts, acquiring a venereal disease or eating candies. Fear is a child's vice and while I loved to feel it approach, as one does with any vice, it was not for grown men and the only thing to be afraid of was the presence of true and imminent danger in a form that you should be aware of and not be a fool if you were responsible for others.”

- Ernest Hemingway, "True at First Light”

The Poet: A. J. Constance, "All Of Us Here On This Spinning Blue World"

"All of Us Here On This Spinning Blue World"

"Let's not plan too much

or expect

or promise

or say how much

or how little

or outline how things must be

or how they must not be.

All of us here on this beautiful

spinning blue world,

let's just love each other

from one millisecond to the next

as much as we can."

- A. J. Constance

○

Full screen recommended.

The Moody Blues, "Blue World"