Monday, May 20, 2024

Jim Kunstler, "Fugazy Land"

"Fugazy Land"
by Jim Kunstler

“The crisis of meaning only becomes a problem when society becomes resigned to it, accepts a condition of meaninglessness, and seeks to dispossess humanity from the insights and truths it learned through the ages.” - Frank Furedi

"Really, you must agree: just about anything can happen now, and probably will, and possibly all at the same time - war, sickness, a disordered economy, chaos in money and finance, savages pouring across the open borders, assassination, mayhem in the streets, systems failure, mental illness everywhere you look. You have a sinister, blob-infested government acting like a desperate, cornered animal, fronted by a venal phantasm trailing a personal history of crime. What could go wrong? All of it.

The doings in Judge Merchan’s Manhattan present the rectified essence of America’s authority problem. You will stipulate that judges are authorities in a pretty pure sense of the word. Their role is to determine what is right and what is wrong, or, at least guide the proceedings that would result in such a fair determination. And, of course, the officers of this court, the District Attorney and his prosecutors, are also entrusted with bringing comprehensible cases that follow the facts fairly, and the laws pertaining to those facts.

This maliciously misguided prosecution has only accomplished one thing so far: to demonstrate to the American public that the authority of our law has been contorted to become a sick joke. That is a ruinous lesson for the country. The free-for-all of our national life has required reliable adjudication of all the quarrels and inequities that arose out of it. For a long time, the rule of law was America’s great draw. If that goes out the window, all you’re left with is the free-for-all which pretty soon devolves into Thomas Hobbes’s nightmare existence in the state of nature where life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

The current Trump trial in Manhattan will likely resolve this week, one way or another, though there is no way that the candidate will land in jail, even if he is convicted and sentenced to go there. That will only be another quandary for the foundering rule of law, and a dreadful challenge. Altogether this trial has alerted even the deranged news channels that the nation is still capable of feeling grossly insulted by its own rulers, and insults will be answered.

Tribulation may be the only answer that will avail to correct America’s tragic capture by blobs foreign and domestic. And you must understand that our nation’s bad choices have brought these tribulations upon ourselves. Fugazy finance is finally hitting the wall it has been seeking. Wealth based on pretense eventually runs out of hallucinatory mojo. Zooming gold and silver prices signal that the US dollar is in distress. The eagle is flying upside down.

A system based on credit is one thing, when credit can plausibly be paid back. But that system is gone. Finally, you must learn what truth or consequences really means, and the truth is that our debts are unpayable and everybody knows it. The consequences await. Any way you slice that - bond market blow-up, raging inflation, bank failures, stocks cratering, a “great taking” of collateral (your property) - the effect is the same: a crashing standard of living. That will get everybody’s attention in a way that Pride Month marches won’t. If “Joe Biden” thinks he will put over a central bank digital currency to cover for all this failure, he and the blob he rode in on will be in for a rude surprise.

Fugazy war isn’t working either. When did Ukraine become a problem for Western Civ? When Victoria Nuland & Company in the US State Department decided to make it a problem in 2014. Before that, going back into the mists of history, Ukraine was not a problem. It was a rather poor frontier province of Russia, and for a while was badly mistreated by Stalin, but it was not a problem outside of Ukraine and, frankly, it was none of our business. And in a matter of months, as Russia rolls up on the Zelensky regime, it will cease to be a problem for anyone.

The notion that the USA and NATO can reverse this now is insane. The nations of Western Civ won’t draft troops to battle on the ground there. There’s no will to fight in Ukraine among the young people of Europe and America. And we have no more guns or ammo to give. The war will end in humiliation for all concerned in the West, especially the “Joe Biden” regime, which has been recklessly flirting with nuclear aggression - as if this would accomplish anything but turning Western Civ into an ashtray.

Fugazy pandemic sponsored by a Globalist pharmaceutical cabal has shot its wad. It has already accomplished a great deal in the way of bringing death and injury to millions. Dim as the people have become in their fog of TikTok mind-f*ckery, they have started to notice the dead and dying around them. And the people who stupidly or maliciously caused it to happen - Deborah Birx, Robert Redfield, all the treasonous news-readers like Chris Cuomo and Andy Cooper - have commenced their modified-limited-hangouts to try to escape culpability. They won’t, of course. There’s a fair chance that they will hang, and many others with them. But don’t expect the public to line up in the parking lots for more shots. And in the event of another bioweapon outbreak, the doctors may even remember their Hippocratic oaths and actually treat people with existing anti-virals. But do expect the public to get extremely pissed-off, if it happens again.

What has the blob (or blobs foreign and domestic) got left after those biggies? They can gin-up their Antifa mobs again. This time, though, they might be met by a million Kyle Rittenhouses. They can stuff every ballot box in land, and surely will try with all their might and all their wiles. But I wouldn’t want to be a blobist the week after a fugazy election. They can signal their beloved “newcomers” to blow up bridges and power stations and shoot up a stadium or a mall here and there, but it won’t save their blobish necks. A lot of bad things are likely to happen over the year ahead, but it looks like America will finally refuse to become Fugazy Land."
o
“Fugazy” is an American slang term that means something is fake, phony, or broken beyond repair. For example, you might describe an update that quits halfway through installation as “fugazy” your iPhone. “Fugazy” can also be used as a verb to mean “mess up”. 

Of course, fugazy normally results in FUBAR...
"FUBAR is an acronym that originated in the military, which stands for a situation that is so damaged or out of control that it is "f*cked up beyond all recognition," or alternatively, "f*cked up beyond all repair." https://www.menshealth.com/

"Economic Market Snapshot 5/20/24"

"Economic Market Snapshot 5/20/24"
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:
Comprehensive, essential truth.
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: creditequity valuationfunding, safe assets and volatility. The FSI shows stress contributions by three regions: United Statesother 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

Sunday, May 19, 2024

"Evil Personified..."

Scott Ritter said, "Israel is Evil personified. Israel is Evil embodied." I've commented that they're psychopathically degenerate blood thirsty genocidal monsters. Look at the slaughter in Gaza, blocking food to starving people, unimaginable murder of innocent civilians, including 15,000 CHILDREN, and you tell me. Watch these videos, see and hear from their own mouths what they are... then tell me...
o
Full screen recommended.
"Israeli TV: Palestinians Must Suffer 'Agonizing' Deaths, 
Because They Went To The Beach"
This is a case study in genocidal mania.
 o
Full screen recommended.
"'Annihilate Everyone':
Israeli TV Promotes Genocidal Song"

And the children sing...
o
Full screen recommended.
"One of Israel's Sickest Lies Torn Apart"

How could anyone possibly support this horror? 
This is who and what they are and always were!
Hang your heads in eternal shame and disgrace, America...

Jeremiah Babe, "Debt Collectors Are Coming For Your Home; Beware Of Zombie Mortgages"

Jeremiah Babe, 5/19/24
"Debt Collectors Are Coming For Your Home; 
Beware Of Zombie Mortgages"
Comments here:

"15 Facts That Prove Average Americans Are Being Pulverized By This Economy"

Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 5/19/24
"15 Facts That Prove Average Americans 
Are Being Pulverized By This Economy"

"Average Americans are feeling more anxious about money than ever before. After enduring one financial disruption after another, it's hard to feel positive when you don’t know what's around the corner. Experts called it "financial shock fatigue," – a phenomenon that helps to explain why so many people are worried about their financial security right now. U.S. workers have seen their purchasing power sharply decline in recent years while the cost of everything has ballooned. Many of them are barely staying afloat at the end of each month.

Unfortunately, deteriorating economic conditions will only aggravate people's problems in the months ahead. Several statistics are proof that average Americans are being pulverized by this economy, and today, we brought you the most important data you need to know about this matter. Without further ado, let's check out this list!"
Comments here:

Musical Interlude: Moody Blues, "Land of Make-Believe"

Full screen recommended.
Moody Blues, "Land of Make-Believe"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"These two mighty galaxies are pulling each other apart. Known as the "Mice" because they have such long tails, each spiral galaxy has likely already passed through the other. The long tails are created by the relative difference between gravitational pulls on the near and far parts of each galaxy. Because the distances are so large, the cosmic interaction takes place in slow motion - over hundreds of millions of years. 
NGC 4676 lies about 300 million light-years away toward the constellation of Bernice's Hair (Coma Berenices) and are likely members of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies. The featured picture was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys in 2002. These galactic mice will probably collide again and again over the next billion years so that, instead of continuing to pull each other apart, they coalesce to form a single galaxy."

"Just Remember..."

“I know the world seems terrifying right now and the future seems bleak. Just remember human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours. When faced with the worst horrors the world has to offer, a person either cracks and succumbs to ugliness, or they salvage the inner core of who they are and fight to right wrongs. Never let hatred, fear, and ignorance get the best of you. Keep bettering yourself so you can make the world around you better, for nothing can improve without the brightest, bravest, kindest, and most imaginative individuals rising above the chaos.”
- Cat Winters

"Peak Focus for Complex Tasks With Beta Isochronic Tones"

Full screen recommended.
"Peak Focus for Complex Tasks 
 With Beta Isochronic Tones"
by Jason Lewis - Mind Amend

"This is a high-intensity audio brainwave entrainment session, using isochronic tones. Listen to this when you need a strong burst of intense focus to concentrate and study things like advanced mathematics, scientific formulas, financial analysis or any other complex mental activity. Listen to this track with your eyes open while doing the task/activity you want to focus on. Use this session in the morning, afternoon or early evening, to train your brain for better cognition, focus and thought processing. You can either sit somewhere quiet and comfortable with your eyes closed and give your brain a nice workout, or you can also listen to this while doing an activity that requires a boost in concentration.

Headphones are NOT REQUIRED for this video. Although headphones are not required you may find they produce a more intense effect, because they help to block out distracting external sounds.
o
"Isochronic tones are a fast and effective audio-based way to stimulate your brain. Among many of the benefits, they can help improve focus, relaxation, energy levels, sleep and more, without taking drugs or needing any special equipment. What isochronic tones essentially do is guide your dominant brainwave activity to a different frequency while you are listening to them, allowing you to influence and change your mental state and how you feel."
I strongly suggest you read Comments here:
"Isochronic Tones –
How They Work, the Benefits and the Research"
This is a brainwave entrainment audio session using isochronic tones combined with music. The isochronic tones are the repetitive beats you can hear on top of the music throughout the track. If you are new to this type of audio brainwave entrainment, find out how isochronic tones work and how they compare to binaural beats here: 
Listen folks, we're out of time! Whether you want to know it or not we're literally in the fight of our lives, for our lives, right now, and it's going to get much, much worse. Some of you reading this will not survive, and I may not either, so I'll take any edge I can get, and you should too... This works for me. Prepare yourself, brace for impact...
- CP

"The Great and the Good"

"The Great and the Good"
Examining a crucial historical pivot in recent American history...
By Bill Bonner

"Sagest in the council was he, kindest in the hall.
Sure we never won a battle – ‘twas Owen won them all.
Had he lived – had he lived – our dear country had been free;
But he’s dead, but he’s dead, and ‘tis slaves we’ll ever be…"
"Lament for the Death of Owen Roe O’Neill", By Thomas Davis

Youghal, Ireland - On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot. He died soon after. Much of the world went into mourning. Never before or since has Washington seen such a gathering of dignitaries…nor so many common folk…all who came to pay their respects.

Jack Kennedy had made many friends. His New Frontier was widely applauded. At home, he lowered the top marginal tax rate from 91% to 65%. Abroad, he sought peace. He explained in a speech at American University that his kind of peace was “not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. 

And yet, after his death, American weapons were soon at work…creating a world, not at peace, but almost constantly at war. Before his assassination, JFK had sent out an order, bringing US troops back from Vietnam. That order was quickly forgotten. The new president, LBJ, had another program, much more to the liking of the ‘military industrial complex.’ Over the next 11 years, 2.7 million American soldiers would go to fight a war that Johnson had promised would be a war for the Vietnamese to fight. By the time the last US helicopter escaped from the US embassy roof in 1975, 58,000 Americans had died and a trillion dollars had been spent. More importantly, the good had given way to the great.

An Historical Pivot: We are reviewing a ‘pivot’ in recent American history. It was the moment when the military/industrial/spook/Congressional complex – the most powerful industry in the world – took control of US politics...and the empire took on a life of its own.

Specifically, we are recalling the history of the 1960s – aided by the recollections and research of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – and our own personal history. Bob Dylan, the Doors, Aretha Franklin…marijuana…the Rolling stones…bell bottoms – and the hope of a better world – it is all coming back into focus. We were not born cynical, dear reader; it took many fads, rascals, bear markets and political campaigns to make us what we are today.

One clear memory…It was a summer evening in 1967. We had gone with a friend to the banks of the Chesapeake. Percy Sledge’s great hit – ‘When a man loves a woman’ – was on the radio. We were back from college, regaling each other with our adventures. But Tommy had dropped out. He set his sights on a different life – simpler, more local. He had read Faulkner and Hemingway. His goal was success at home…not abroad. It was success as a person he wanted, not as captain of industry nor of infantry. “Aren’t you worried about getting drafted?” “No…I’m going to sign up. Get it over with.” “Aren’t you worried about getting killed? And what’s the point, anyway? The war seems like a waste.” “Yeah…but otherwise, I’ll have to listen to my mother complaining about me dropping out of college.” That was the last time we saw Tommy. .

Life is full of casualties. Some are more tragic and pointless than others. Tommy was one of them.

America the Great? What the Kennedys seemed to be aiming for was a government that practiced restraint and reduced the casualties. A good nation does not tax too heavily, does not spend too much, treats people with respect (even those with whom it doesn’t agree) and only fights when it has to. But after Kennedy was assassinated, the US took a different course. Lyndon Johnson promised action…activism…empire. Bombs and bamboozles. Attila was great. Alexander was great. Caesar was great. Napoleon was great. Why not Lyndon? Why not Ronald…Donald…or Joe?

“The People” took the cue. The masses always come to think what they must think when they must think it. Americans were no different. Flattered by the best military money could buy, they came to believe that they were an exceptional race. Madeleine Albright, then Secretary of State, must have reached some apotheosis of conceit when she proclaimed that “if we use force, it is because we are America. We stand tall….we see further into the future.”

We have argued that there are patterns to markets (the Primary Trend)…and patterns to history. A normal man is held in check by his friends, his wife, and his children. When he makes a jackass of himself, they are quick to let him know. So too is a humble nation held in check by its neighbors, its resources and its own people. It may be good or bad. But sometimes – with the wind at its back – the lust for greatness takes over. A nation seeks not just to get along, but to dominate…and control; it becomes an empire. But the Kennedys stood in the way.

Concrete Boots: First, Robert Kennedy took on the mobsters. Appointed Attorney General by his brother, RFK had a ‘Manichean approach’ to law enforcement. There were good guys and bad guys. He wanted to put the bad ones in jail.

At the time, the mafia was gaining power…and corrupting the US justice system (suborning witnesses, bribing judges…). He aimed to put them out of business. In Senate hearings, he brought in Anthony “Tony Ducks” Corallo; Joe “Little Caesar” DiVarco; Carlos “The Little Man” Marcello…and dozens of other colorful mobsters. In his first three years as Attorney General, RFK filed 673 indictments against organized crime figures.

The mafiosos didn’t forget. And didn’t forgive. What’s more, they felt betrayed. They believed that the Kennedys would protect them, not prosecute them. There are several competing stories to explain it. One tells us that Joe Kennedy had made a deal with the mob; if they helped deliver the votes in Chicago… he would tell his sons to lay off them. Another story is that the Kennedy boys were connected to the mob on their own. Their sister, Pat, was married to Peter Lawford, one the famous “Rat Pack,” along with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Sinatra installed a heliport at his residence in Palm Springs so the president could come to visit. Jack Kennedy may even have shared a mistress – Judith Campbell Exner – with Sinatra’s mafia pal, Sam Giancana.

Whatever the origins of the story, the mob felt betrayed when Bobby Kennedy went after them with a vigor they had never seen before. “Livarsi na petra di la scarpa,” said Carlos Marcello in 1962. The old Sicilian curse has an English variant, said to have been invoked by Henry II: “Will no one rid me of that turbulent priest?” In another documented exchange, mobster Santo Trafficante assured Cuban exile leader Jose Aleman that he needn’t worry about President Kennedy: “No, Jose, he is going to be hit.”

An Empire Unchallenged: Another group that didn’t like the Kennedys was the aforementioned War Industry. Their business, too, was being severely hampered by the Kennedys’ desire to give peace a chance…and their general distrust of both the military and the spies. By this time, the CIA and the mobsters were working together. Their target was supposed to be Fidel Castro. The mafia had its connections in Cuba. The CIA’s mission was to assassinate Fidel, at which, it failed.

The assassination of JFK, however…like the murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1170… was a shocking success. Who did it? Did the CIA aim for Castro and hit Kennedy? Did the mafia settle its score with the Kennedy family? Or was it a ‘lone gunman,’ as the Warren Commission concluded? We don’t know. But since then, no president has ever seriously challenged the empire’s agenda."

"The Daily "Near You?

La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"There Comes A Time..."

"I make no bones about being partisan for my country. I also feel no shame whatever because of it. I absolutely disagree that "great thinkers don't let that affect the thoughts". I would say exactly the opposite: someone who refuses to let love-of-country affect their thoughts is a moral cripple irrespective of their intellectual prowess. I can look dispassionately at the situation, and I have done so repeatedly. But I will never forget which nation I love and support.

We Americans have a saying: “It’s more important what you stand for than who you stand with.” I do not rely upon peer opinion to decide what is right and what is wrong. I make those decisions for myself, and even if I discover that every other human alive chose differently, that doesn’t mean I was wrong.

There comes a time in every man’s life when he has to choose sides. I have chosen my side. I am comfortable with my decision. I do not think everyone on my side is a saint, but I know that those on the other side are much, much worse.

Sometimes a man with too broad a perspective reveals himself as having no real perspective at all. A man who tries too hard to see every side may be a man who is trying to avoid choosing any side. A man who tries too hard to seek a deeper truth may be trying to hide from the truth he already knows. That is not a sign of intellectual sophistication and “great thinking”. It is a demonstration of moral degeneracy and cowardice.”
- Steven Den Beste
“Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and unexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.”
- Mark Twain

"Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria Crush IDF"

Danny Haiphong, 5/19/24
Richard Medhurst, 
"Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria Crush IDF"
"Journalist Richard Medhurst exposes Israel's vulnerable position as the IDF faces six fronts of war which together far outpace its military capabilities. It's game over for the Netanyahu regime, the only question is: when? This video breaks it down."
Comments here:

"Why Has The Vatican Chosen This Precise Moment To Drop Bombshells About UFOs, Aliens And “Apparitions”?

"Why Has The Vatican Chosen This Precise Moment
To Drop Bombshells About UFOs, Aliens And “Apparitions”?
by Michael Snyder

"For centuries, the Vatican has been carefully guarding their most precious secrets. In recent years, that has been especially true regarding what they know about UFOs, aliens and the mysteries of the universe. So why have they chosen this exact moment in history to publicly talk about these things? The press conference at the Vatican on Thursday was the very first time that the Vatican has held a press conference about UFOs, aliens and “apparitions” since 1978. So this is a really big deal. It is being reported that the Vatican has decided to issue new guidelines “on aliens and how it will deal with potential encounters in the future”…and  will feature three prominent Vatican members.

Being held to “present the new provisions of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for discerning between apparitions and other supernatural phenomena,” it will be led by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandex, Messenger Armando Matteo and Daniela Del Gaudio.

If the Vatican feels a need to issue guidelines about how to “deal with potential encounters in the future”, that seems to imply that they believe that there will be “potential encounters in the future”. What do they know that they aren’t telling us? Probably a lot.

The last time that the Vatican did something like this was all the way back in February 1978… The last time the Vatican’s doctrinal office issued norms for evaluating alleged apparitions and reports of supernatural events was in February 1978. At the time, the prefect, Cardinal Franjo Seper, said the norms were necessary given how news of alleged apparitions spreads rapidly thanks to the mass media.

What has changed between then and now? One thing that has changed is that the current pope seems to be quite interested in the topic of aliens. In comments that he made near the end of 2023, Pope Francis seemed to suggest that aliens could actually be baptized…

However, Pope Francis did touch on aliens at the end of last year, when he was talking about how early Christians discussed associating with “Jews and Gentiles” – which, for some reason, he compared to aliens. He said: “That was unthinkable. If, for example, tomorrow an expedition of Martians came, and some of them came to us, here…Martians, right? Green, with that long nose and big ears, just like children paint them…And one says, ‘But I want to be baptized!’ What would happen?”

He didn’t answer his own question, but added: “It was never the ministry of the closed door, never,” So he plans to have an “open door” for the aliens? What would that look like?

The producer of a new documentary entitled “God Versus Aliens” seems to believe that the Vatican wants to prepare us for the day when humanity finally makes contact with such beings… "The documentary ‘God Versus Aliens’ is to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and reveal the Vatican’s secrets about UFOs. The award-winning filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee says that the Vatican publishing new guidance on apparitions means that the full disclosure about the UFO phenomena is getting closer.

He said: “The Vatican has been studying UFOs for decades and even has its own Cardinal appointed to deal with first contact. From my research I believe that this new guidance on apparitions is proof that they know that UFOs are more than just physical crafts from other worlds and that they have a paranormal side to them.”

What most people don’t realize is that the Vatican has been on the cutting edge of the search for extraterrestrial life for a long time.

The Vatican Observatory in Rome is very well funded, and the Vatican also has a “research group” that uses the very high-powered equipment at the University of Arizona in Tucson…"Many people are surprised to learn that the Vatican even has an observatory. The history of the Vatican Observatory goes back two and a half centuries. During its history, there has been some turmoil and several moves to escape the light and other hindrances that large cities, such as Rome, pose to doing astronomy. Therefore, more than a half-century ago the Vatican Observatory established a research group at the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona in Tucson, while the Vatican Observatory’s headquarters remained in Italy."

Needless to say, the Vatican isn’t going to tell us everything that they know right now. But a couple of things have become quite clear. Number one, the Vatican believes that extraterrestrial life exists. Number two, the Vatican plans to develop a positive relationship with any “aliens” that do make contact with humanity. Could all of this be setting us up for a great deception of absolutely epic proportions?

The late author Tom Horn made the following observation…"Why the Vatican has taken this carefully designed and deliberate course over the last few years is the greater mystery, but implies knowledge on their part of facts yet hidden to most of the world that may hold far-reaching and historic implications. It also illustrates how Rome has wittingly or unwittingly set itself up to become the agent of mass end-times deception regarding “salvation from above.” That’s because, historically, there exists a clear pattern wherein man’s psychological need of a savior is displayed during times of distress - a time like today - when people look skyward for divine intervention."

It is true. When things get bad enough, the world is going to be looking for a savior. And if a “superior race” appears on the scene that seems to have all the answers, many people out there will fully embrace them.

For decades, books, movies and television shows have conditioned us to expect that someday we will interact with “aliens” from another planet. 100 years ago, everyone would have dismissed such talk as nonsense, but now we have been well prepared for the great deception that is eventually coming. Sadly, the Vatican seems to be quite ready to welcome “aliens” as their new best friends, and that is extremely unfortunate."

"How It Really Is"

Oh no we haven't, not even close. 
This is just beginning, and you ain't seen nuthin' yet, but you will...

Dan, I Allegedly, "The Economics Don’t Add Up"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 5/19/24
"The Economics Don’t Add Up"
"We are getting some warning in regards to EV cars and how completely unaffordable they are. Plus, we’re getting warnings from Home Depot that people are putting off large purchases."
Comments here:

Gregory Mannarino, "Markets, A Look Ahead"

"It's a Big Club, and you ain't in it. 
You and I are not in the Big Club."
- George Carlin
Your guide...
Gregory Mannarino, 5/19/24
"Markets, A Look Ahead:
Critical Updates, Banks, Stock Market, Gold, Silver, More!"
Comments here:

“Immaculate Acceleration”

“Immaculate Acceleration”
Wall Street expects an “immaculate acceleration.”
by Brian Maher

"Bloomberg’s Mr. Simon White: "The economy is signaling a more volatile, potentially recessionary period. Markets, however, aren’t paying attention. Not only are the twin tail risks of a downturn or resurgent inflation being ignored, but a near-impossible “immaculate acceleration” of boomy growth and benign price appreciation is becoming the base case.

It’s not the first time that markets and the economy have been at odds, but this is one of the most egregious. Just as the economic mood music becomes more somber and underlying signs of persistent price pressures continue to fester, the market has virtually eliminated the tail risks of a recession or an inflationary shock…

Immaculate acceleration is the quintessential two impossible things before breakfast. Yet that is exactly what the market is intending to digest…In conclusion: Immaculate acceleration is like trying to thread a needle while shaking from an adrenaline rush. In other words, it’s unlikely to go according to plan."

We are with this Simon fellow. We hazard immaculate acceleration will endure a maculate deceleration.

Immaculate Acceleration? Really? We first note a wobbling in retail sales. Consumer spending (on a year-over-year basis) has run negative for 12 out of the past 17 months. Real retail sales - that is, adjusted for inflation - have run negative 12 out of the last 15 months. This, again, is on the year-over-year gauge. Meantime, Americans’ average credit card balance has jumped 8.5% this past year. Many Americans are falling into arrears. Is this the indicator of immaculate acceleration? Next we come to the yield curve, so-called…

Bad Omen: The yield curve is simply the spread between short-term interest rates and long-term interest rates. Long-term rates normally run higher than short-term rates. For the reasons, we needn’t look far. Investors, for example, demand greater compensation to hold a 10-year Treasury than a 2-year Treasury. Compensation, that is, for laying off the sparrow at hand… in exchange for the promise of two sparrows in the distant bush. They are, after all, locking away their money for 10 years - as opposed to two years. Would you not demand greater compensation under the 10-year option? Else you hold in your hand a sawdust asset.

And the further the future, the greater the uncertainty you confront. Thus the 10-year yield should therefore run substantially higher than the 2-year yield. Yet when the 2-year yield and the 10-year yield begin to converge, the yield curve is said to flatten. And a flattening yield curve is a possible omen of lean days - and lean nights. Is a flattening yield curve an immediate menace, a thundercloud overhead? Not necessarily, say the experts. Not necessarily. The yield curve can remain good and flat for a while - with no ill effects.

Alarm! Only when the yield curve inverts do the Klaxons sound. In the careening confusion, future and past run right past one another… and end up switching slots. Thus, an inverted yield curve wrecks the market structure of time. It rewards pursuit of the sparrow at hand greater than two future sparrows. That is, the short-term bondholder is compensated more than the long-term bondholder. That is, the short-term bondholder is paid more to sacrifice less… and the long-term bondholder paid less to sacrifice more. That is, something is dreadfully off.

Inverted yield curves precede recessions nearly as reliably as days precede nights, horses precede carts… lies precede elections. Today the 2-year Treasury note yields 4.79%. The 10-year Treasury note yields 4.37%. That is, the yield curve is inverted.

It Gets Worse: Some market crystal gazers believe the gap between the 3-month Treasury bill and the 10-year Treasury note puts out a greater recessionary signal. The 3-month Treasury bill currently yields 5.45%. Again, the 10-year Treasury note yields. 4.37%. Here - again - the yield curve inverts.

The 10-year Treasury yield has dropped beneath the 3-month Treasury yield on six occasions spanning over 50 years. Recession was the invariable consequence - a perfect 1.000 batter’s average. History reveals the catastrophic effects of an inverted yield curve only manifest an average 18 months post-onset. The 2-year/10-year yield curve inverted 22 months in the past. The 3-month/10-year yield curve inverted 19 months in the past. In words that are other, recession is overdue.

Might the ocean waves of recent government spending have postponed the scheduling? We concede the possibility that they have. Government spending can put on a gaudy short-term show. Yet at what price? A heavy long-term price is the answer.

It’s a Ponzi Scheme: Mr. Michael Lebovitz of Real Investment Advice: "The repercussions of relying on stimulus for economic growth and growing debt faster than the ability to pay for it have significant economic consequences. The recent surge in debt will only further handicap our economy and prosperity in the future…"

Growing debt faster than one’s income is a Ponzi scheme. No matter how politicians sugarcoat fiscal stimulus, there are no two ways around such a characterization. Individuals and corporations that run such a scheme ultimately end up bankrupt. The same holds for governments, but they tend to have much longer runways…"Not only is the growing ratio of debt to income problematic, but it is also a sure sign that the debt in aggregate is used for unproductive purposes. In other words, the debt costs more than the financial benefits it provides. If it were productive debt, income or GDP would rise more than the debt."

In the long run, unproductive debt reduces a nation’s productivity, aka economic potential. Yet under our democratic system of government the long run yields unswervingly to the short run - the election cycle. How can a congressman or president purchase votes if he sits upon the nation’s strongbox? He cannot. The sitting president has it open wide in hope of electoral jackpot this November.

The Cost of Every Pleasure: Yet what has the “stimulus” of the past years truly gifted us? Let’s consider the two rounds of stimulus checks sent to the public during the pandemic. Consumers and businesses spent a large percentage of the funds on goods or services that no longer provide economic benefit. The initial result of the direct stimulus was a massive boost to economic activity. Three to four years later, the economic growth spurt is finished, and the debt and its annual interest costs remain. The interest on the debt is capital that will not be put to productive use.

In conclusion: Nothing is free, it’s just a question of how it’s paid for. While the government spends like there is no tomorrow and the Fed does everything in its power to help them, we must understand that the longer-term consequences of their actions are weaker economic growth and growing wealth disparity…

As we are fond to say - and as the great Buddha never ever said: “The cost of every pleasure is the pain that succeeds it.” The United States has enjoyed the pleasure. Can it absorb the cost?"

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Canadian Prepper, "I Almost Died"

Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 5/18/24
"I Almost Died"
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Musical Interlude: 2002, "Athena"

Full screen recommended.
2002, "Athena"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"Magnificent island universe NGC 2403 stands within the boundaries of the long-necked constellation Camelopardalis. Some 10 million light-years distant and about 50,000 light-years across, the spiral galaxy also seems to have more than its fair share of giant star forming HII regions, marked by the telltale reddish glow of atomic hydrogen gas. The giant HII regions are energized by clusters of hot, massive stars that explode as bright supernovae at the end of their short and furious lives.
A member of the M81 group of galaxies, NGC 2403 closely resembles another galaxy with an abundance of star forming regions that lies within our own local galaxy group, M33 the Triangulum Galaxy. Spiky in appearance, bright stars in this colorful galaxy portrait of NGC 2403 lie in the foreground, within our own Milky Way.”

"Yet Now..."

“Yet now, as he roared across the night sky toward an unknown destiny, he found himself facing that bleak and ultimate question which so few men can answer to their satisfaction. What have I done with my life, he asked himself, that the world will be poorer if I leave it?”
- Arthur C. Clarke, “Glide Path”
Full screen recommended.
Alan Parsons Project, "Old and Wise"

Khalil Gibran, "A Tear and A Smile"

Khalil Gibran, "A Tear and A Smile"
Read by Shane Morris

"A Hammer Blow..."

"Do as little harm to others as you can; make any sacrifice for your true friends; be responsible for yourself and ask nothing of others; and grab all the fun you can. Don't give much thought to yesterday, don't worry about tomorrow, live in the moment, and trust that your existence has meaning even when the world seems to be all blind chance and chaos. When life lands a hammer blow in your face, do your best to respond to the hammer as if it had been a cream pie."
- Dean Koontz

Jeremiah Babe, "The Decay Of America Cities Is Shameful; Millions Of Americans Trapped In Debt"

Jeremiah Babe, 5/18/24
"The Decay Of America Cities Is Shameful;
Millions Of Americans Trapped In Debt"
Comments here:
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Full screen recommended.
"Streets of Philadelphia, 
Kensington Philadelphia, May 2024"

"The Daily "Near You?"

Halfweg, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. Thanks for stopping by!

"The Trick..."

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable,
or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.
- Carlos Castaneda