"Costco Reports 250% Price Hikes On Food Items As Supplies Run Out At Stores"

Full screen recommended.

"Costco Reports 250% Price Hikes On Food

 Items As Supplies Run Out At Stores"

by Epic Economist

"New reports reveal that Americans have started panic buying again. People are noticing that shortages are getting worse, and shelves are getting increasingly emptier as we approach the last quarter of 2023. Some have decided to act now before they can no longer find household supplies and their favorite items at their local stores. Many shoppers are buying in bulk to try to save on costs and stock up for the future, and they’ve been flocking to Costco in search of good deals. But in the past few weeks, it seems that a large number of items are sold out at Costco warehouses, and new price markups are shocking customers who revealed increases of up to 250% on Costco products, according to a recent analysis of consumer complaints. For that reason, in today’s video, we tracked which supplies faced the biggest price hikes at Costco stores over the past month, and we shared the latest warning from the company’s CFO Richard Galanti about the future of the U.S. economy.

A new analysis shows that the main reason for the company’s disappointing sales numbers: Soaring prices at the retailer’s warehouses. And some loyal customers, who pay a membership fee that can typically go from $60 to $100, are outraged with recent price markups. The megaretailer says that higher operational costs and commodity prices are affecting prices in all industries, but especially the grocery sector.

Americans are noticing a lot of sold-out notes on Costco shelves in the past few weeks. Shortages of household supplies and basic grocery items seem to be rapidly spreading across Costco warehouses. However, most of the complaints have been published by shoppers that just can’t believe the price hikes they’re seeing at their local stores. One major example of this was the 250% increase in the price of 40-packs of Kirkland-branded water bottles. One Redditor reported that the bulk buy, which cost $1.44 as recently as a year ago, now costs $4.99. "Yeah that used to be the case at the beginning of the year, just checked yesterday, and $4.99, ridiculous," user u/ghx16 wrote.

User jasonsparks19 said that crab legs have more than doubled in price over the past year: "King crab legs went from $23/lb to $48/lb." That’s a 110% increase. It has been difficult for shoppers to find chicken nuggets in stock at Costco, as they are often sold out in the frozen section due to the high demand. They used to cost $13 for a four-pound bag, but are now going for $19.99, causing some customers to express their displeasure with the price hike on Reddit. "I saw them today for the first time in a while too. My jaw dropped when I saw the price and I kept walking," a commenter said.

When even affordable chains are losing customers due to rising prices, then you know something must be broken in our economy. At this point, prices should be going down, but that’s not what we’re seeing when we go shopping. At the end of the day, Costco is not the only retailer raising prices right now, and certainly, it is not the only one facing financial losses and declining sales.

This situation is just a symptom of a much larger issue that is going to accelerate as we reach the final stretch of 2023. And you too should start preparing for the recession that has only just begun."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"What Happened Today In Hell? Streets of Philadelphia"

Full screen recommended.

"What Happened Today In Hell? Streets of Philadelphia"

Kensington, Philadelphia is infamous for Kensington 

Philadelphia zombies as a result of homelessness. 

o

Musical Interlude: "Deep Space, Ambient Meditation and Sleep Music from Soothing Relaxation"

Full screen recommended.

"Deep Space, Ambient Meditation

and Sleep Music from Soothing Relaxation"

"Deep ambient music for meditation and sleep composed by Peder B. Helland.

Turn the volume down and relax while you fly through space."

"A Look to the Heavens"

“Large galaxies grow by eating small ones. Even our own galaxy practices galactic cannibalism, absorbing small galaxies that get too close and are captured by the Milky Way's gravity. In fact, the practice is common in the universe and illustrated by this striking pair of interacting galaxies from the banks of the southern constellation Eridanus, The River.

Located over 50 million light years away, the large, distorted spiral NGC 1532 is seen locked in a gravitational struggle with dwarf galaxy NGC 1531 (right of center), a struggle the smaller galaxy will eventually lose. Seen edge-on, spiral NGC 1532 spans about 100,000 light-years. Nicely detailed in this sharp image, the NGC 1532/1531 pair is thought to be similar to the well-studied system of face-on spiral and small companion known as M51.”

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

"We Are Like Butterflies..."

"We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it's forever."

 - Carl Sagan

Chet Raymo, “Universal Constants, Universal Consensus”

“Universal Constants, Universal Consensus”

by Chet Raymo

“I once received a book in the mail, as I sometimes do, for potential review on this blog, James Stein's “Cosmic Numbers: The Numbers That Define Our Universe”. I often write here about books I read, but I don't review. I did glance at Stein's book, however. It has an audience, but it's not for me; been there, done that. The subtitle is provocative, however. The idea that a dozen or so numbers "define the universe." That's a mind-blowing concept.

The gravitational constant. The speed of light. Absolute zero. Planck's constant. The Hubble constant. And so on. Familiar to every introductory physics student. Built into the very structure of the Earth. And every other earth in the universe.

Look again at the Hubble Ultra Deep Field photograph. above Those myriad of galaxies. Those yawning light-years. That infinitude of worlds. And, as far as we know, the fundamental constants are the same everywhere,

The human mind has thrown a net across the cosmos. And as we have brought the galaxies into our ken, so have we come to realize that we too are part and parcel of the fabric of cosmic space and time. Exceptional clarity. Impenetrable mystery.

So what do we make of the news so breathlessly reported in the media of neutrinos moving faster than the speed of light? This is surely a bit of heroic physics, pitting what we believe to be true against the refining fire of experience, but I wouldn't make too much of it yet. Tom suggested that perhaps the researchers unwittingly measured the distance from CERN in Switzerland to Gran Sasso in Italy with greater accuracy. That's the kind of whimsy the result calls for now. The real story - for the time being - is as an illustration of the way the engine of scientific knowing grinds inexorably toward consensus.”

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

"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”

The Daily "Near You?"

Louisville, Colorado, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Greg Hunter, "CV19 Vax Humanitarian Catastrophe Being Turbocharged Without Treatment"

"CV19 Vax Humanitarian Catastrophe

Being Turbocharged Without Treatment"

by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

"World renowned CV19 critical care and pulmonary expert Dr. Pierre Kory has run a full-time CV19 vaccine injury practice for two years. What Dr. Kory is seeing first hand in terms of injuries is frightening. Dr. Kory explains, “It’s been insane for two years plus. The world has gone mad. There is a simple reason the world has gone mad. It’s from unrelenting censorship and propaganda. Ed Dowd has brought forth the most compelling information on the CV19 vax out of anyone because it comes out of actuarial data, it comes out of labor statistics, and it comes out of the CDC. He is using their own data to show that we have a humanitarian catastrophe that occurred in the wake of this CV19 global vaccine campaign. We have countless record setting numbers of young people dying, employed white collar young people dying in droves. Yet, nobody wants to talk about it.”

With at least 676 million CV19 injections in the USA alone, there are too few people being treated for CV 19 vax injuries. Dr. Kory says, “Millions of people need treatment for injuries caused by the CV19 vax. I don’t talk that much in the book “The War on Ivermectin” about ‘Long Covid’ and CV19 vaccine injuries, but now that my career is treating those two illnesses, I am an expert in treating ‘Long Covid’ and CV19 vaccine injury. Our most effective medicine in treating those two conditions is Ivermectin. Now, you have hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, who would benefit from chronic Ivermectin treatment for these long-haul syndromes and CV19 vaccine injuries. They have shut down the retail pharmacies. The American Board of Pharmacists bought all the propaganda or they were paid to push out propaganda. They shut down pharmacies and scared all the pharmacies from filling prescriptions for Ivermectin. So, you can’t go to a retail pharmacy for Ivermectin. You can go to a compounding pharmacy in your area and get it.”

Dr. Kory says this CV19 vax catastrophe is being turbocharged with Ivermectin being withheld and the medical community ignoring a huge problem with millions dying and being disabled non-stop from this bioweapon vax. Dr. Kory and others now say, “The CV19 vax did not help a single person.” The three big warning signs Dr. Kory spots when diagnosing a CV19 vax injury are: extreme fatigue, long recovery times for doing slightly strenuous activity and brain fog." There in much more in the 53 minute interview.

- https://usawatchdog.com/

Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with Dr. Pierre Kory, one of the top pulmonary and CV 19 vax injury experts on the planet. Dr. Kory is co-founder of the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance (flccc.net) and author of the new book “The War on Ivermectin.”

- https://rumble.com/

God have mercy on you if you've taken this shot...

"For Those Who Deny The Problems With The Vax"

- https://coyoteprimeblog2.blogspot.com/

o

"The Vaccine Death Report"

Complicity: The data suggests that we may currently be witnessing the greatest organized mass murder in the history of our world. The severity of this situation compels us to ask this critical question: will we rise to the defense of billions of innocent people? Or will we permit personal profit over justice, and be complicit? Networks of lawyers all over the world are preparing class-action lawsuits to prosecute all who are serving this criminal agenda. To all who have been complicit so far, we say: There is still time to turn and choose the side of truth. Please make the right choice."

Freely download "The Vaccine Death Report" here:

- https://stopworldcontrol.com/report/

- https://coyoteprimeblog2.blogspot.com/

o

"Unthinkable Thoughts"

- https://coyoteprimeblog2.blogspot.com/

"This Is The End Game"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly 8/6/23

"This Is The End Game"

"You can’t have a world where everyone is in debt. You can’t have the United States of America losing money week after week. That’s where we’re at right now we’re losing $5 billion a day international debt."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"If NATO Goes Toe-To-Toe With The Russians NATO Will Lose"

Col. Douglas Macgregor, Straight Calls 8/6/23

"If NATO Goes Toe-To-Toe 

With The Russians NATO Will Lose"

"Analysis of breaking news and in-depth discussion of current geopolitical events in the United States of America and the world."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Redacted, 8/5/23

Scott Ritter: “Ukraine’s army is 

being annihilated thanks to NATO’s plan.” 

"NATO has been urging Ukraine to undertake large-scale armored offensives instead of smaller, targeted attacks. Unfortunately, this strategy has proven devastating for the Ukrainian army, as it has faced relentless air and ground assaults from the Russian forces. One might question whether NATO intends to completely dismantle Ukraine's remaining military capabilities. To discuss this matter, we will be joined by Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"War..."

Full screen recommended.

Steve Cutts, "A Brief Disagreement"

"A visual journey into mankind's 

favorite pastime throughout the ages."

"Since the rise of the state some 5,000 years ago, military activity has occurred over much of the globe. The advent of gunpowder and the acceleration of technological advances led to modern warfare. According to Conway W. Henderson, "One source claims that 14,500 wars have taken place between 3500 BC and the late 20th century, costing 3.5 billion lives, leaving only 300 years of peace (Beer 1981: 20).] An unfavorable review of this estimate mentions the following regarding one of the proponents of this estimate: "In addition, perhaps feeling that the war casualties figure was improbably high, he changed 'approximately 3,640,000,000 human beings have been killed by war or the diseases produced by war' to 'approximately 1,240,000,000 human beings...'" The lower figure is more plausible but could still be on the high side considering that the 100 deadliest acts of mass violence between 480 BC and 2002 AD (wars and other man-made disasters with at least 300,000 and up to 66 million victims) claimed about 455 million human lives in total."

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War

"It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human

 race proved to be nothing more than the story of an

ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump." 

- David Ormsby-Gore

"I Would Bet My Life On It..."

“I don’t believe in ‘original sin.’ I don’t believe in ‘guilt.’ I don’t believe in villains or heroes – only right or wrong ways that individuals have taken, not by choice but by necessity or by certain still-uncomprehended influences in themselves, their circumstances, and their antecedents. This is so simple I’m ashamed to say it, but I’m sure it’s true. In fact, I would bet my life on it! And that’s why I don’t understand why our propaganda machines are always trying to teach us, to persuade us, to hate and fear other people on the same little world that we live in.”

- Tennessee Williams

"Walmart Prices Are Going Up! Get Prepared! Stock Up!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 8/6/23

"Walmart Prices Are Going Up! 

Get Prepared! Stock Up!"

"More price increases come to Walmart as meat and produce continue to be unaffordable! We go through Walmart trying to find the best deals we can as prices continue to skyrocket around the world. It's getting rough out here as families continue to seek out cheaper options to put food on the table!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Puppet Masters of the Pandemic. Part 1: What Did The CIA Do in Wuhan?" (Excerpt)

"Puppet Masters of the Pandemic.

 Part 1: What Did The CIA Do in Wuhan?" (Excerpt)

by Robert W. Malone, MD, MS

Highlights from the Transcript (part I): The transcript has not been edited as carefully as I could for grammatical mistakes, with some clarifications and reduction in unnecessary text - so hopefully it isn’t too cringe worthy. - RWM

Excerpt: "Veronika Kyrylenko: Hi everyone. This is Veronica Kyrylenko with the New American magazine. We're in Madison Virginia, where we're hosted by Dr. Robert Malone, a brilliant scientist and the original inventor of mRNA vaccine technology, turned freedom fighter and a fearless troublemaker, taking on the deep state now.

Dr. Malone, just as the memory of COVID was beginning to fade from the public minds, like a haunting nightmare with occasional reminders caused by painfully slow congressional hearings regarding the Bethesda Boys and their knowledge timeline, you sir, inadvertently dropped a nuclear truth bomb. You aimed not at the regular usual suspects like the NIH technocrats that were practically caught red-handed in Wuhan. You sir, aimed not at the DOD that had its own shady dealings and business with the Wuhan lab.

Now, Dr. Malone, you aimed at Langley. While speaking with Steve Bannon last week, you said quoting your sources from inside the CIA, "Clearly the United States intelligence community was at the heart of this whole COVID crisis, working together with the CCP throughout this entire affair."

Full Part I of this article is here:

- https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/

o

"Puppet Masters of the Pandemic. 

Part 2: What Did The CIA Do in Wuhan?" (Excerpt)

Part 2 of an interview with the New American Magazine

by Robert W Malone MD, MS

Excerpt: "From Part I - the interview left off with the big question of who is the puppet master? What's behind all this propaganda and control over the past three years? I spoke of different theories that people had put out there, and ended with the beginning of the hypothesis that the CIA may in fact be that controlling element. Part II picks up the thesis there.

From Part I: Dr. Robert Malone: We <Bret Weinstein, Steve Kirsch and myself> talked about emergent phenomena, that this might just be the consequence of simultaneous things happening and separate actors acting on their own initiatives, and the result would be a vector sum of things (controlling the propaganda and globalized governmental policies). I've never felt comfortable with that as an explanation for why we would see this amazing harmonization of propaganda, censorship, messaging strategies, technical strategies like the purchasing of influencers, et cetera, globally.

Then, a colleague ... a close colleague of mine who actually employs a former director of the CIA were discussing who is the puppet master? What's behind all this? We had a discussion in which he related a conversation with his employee (former DCIA) regarding the global power and reach of the CIA, in which the former DCIA concluded that the CIA was currently the most powerful organization in the world, perhaps the most powerful global organization in human history. This is one of those things I haven't wanted to believe…"

Full Part II of this article is here:

- https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/

Jeremiah Babe, "The Bank Wants Your House"

Jeremiah Babe, 8/5/23

"The Bank Wants Your House; What Happens When 

Your Money Runs Out? Spiritual Warfare, Demonic Times"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

A Timely Repost: “Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent”

Full screen highly recommended.

“Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song

Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent”

By Melanie Curtin

“Everyone knows they need to manage their stress. When things get difficult at work, school, or in your personal life, you can use as many tips, tricks, and techniques as you can get to calm your nerves. So here’s a science-backed one: make a playlist of the 10 songs found to be the most relaxing on earth. Sound therapies have long been popular as a way of relaxing and restoring one’s health. For centuries, indigenous cultures have used music to enhance well-being and improve health conditions.

Now, neuroscientists out of the UK have specified which tunes give you the most bang for your musical buck. The study was conducted on participants who attempted to solve difficult puzzles as quickly as possible while connected to sensors. The puzzles induced a certain level of stress, and participants listened to different songs while researchers measured brain activity as well as physiological states that included heart rate, blood pressure, and rate of breathing.

According to Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International, which conducted the research, the top song produced a greater state of relaxation than any other music tested to date. In fact, listening to that one song- “Weightless”- resulted in a striking 65 percent reduction in participants’ overall anxiety, and a 35 percent reduction in their usual physiological resting rates. That is remarkable.

Equally remarkable is the fact the song was actually constructed to do so. The group that created “Weightless”, Marconi Union, did so in collaboration with sound therapists. Its carefully arranged harmonies, rhythms, and bass lines help slow a listener’s heart rate, reduce blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

When it comes to lowering anxiety, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Stress either exacerbates or increases the risk of health issues like heart disease, obesity, depression, gastrointestinal problems, asthma, and more. More troubling still, a recent paper out of Harvard and Stanford found health issues from job stress alone cause more deaths than diabetes, Alzheimer’s, or influenza.

In this age of constant bombardment, the science is clear: if you want your mind and body to last, you’ve got to prioritize giving them a rest. Music is an easy way to take some of the pressure off of all the pings, dings, apps, tags, texts, emails, appointments, meetings, and deadlines that can easily spike your stress level and leave you feeling drained and anxious.

Of the top track, Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson said, “‘Weightless’ was so effective, many women became drowsy and I would advise against driving while listening to the song because it could be dangerous.” So don’t drive while listening to these, but do take advantage of them:

10. “We Can Fly,” by Rue du Soleil (Café Del Mar)

9. “Canzonetta Sull’aria,” by Mozart

8. “Someone Like You,” by Adele

7. “Pure Shores,” by All Saints

6. “Please Don’t Go,” by Barcelona

5. “Strawberry Swing,” by Coldplay

4. “Watermark,” by Enya

3. “Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix),” by DJ Shah

2. “Electra,” by Airstream

1. “Weightless,” by Marconi Union

I made a public playlist of all of them on Spotify that runs about 50 minutes (it’s also downloadable).”

- http://www.stumbleupon.com/

Musical Interlude: Deuter, "Sea and Silence"

Deuter, "Sea and Silence"

Simply beautiful...

Musical Interlude: Deuter, "Sound of Invisible Waters"

Deuter, "Sound of Invisible Waters"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“To some, the outline of the open cluster of stars M6 resembles a butterfly. M6, also known as NGC 6405, spans about 20 light-years and lies about 2,000 light years distant. M6 can best be seen in a dark sky with binoculars towards the constellation of Scorpius, coving about as much of the sky as the full moon.

Like other open clusters, M6 is composed predominantly of young blue stars, although the brightest star is nearly orange. M6 is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like M6 helps astronomers calibrate the distance scale of the universe.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110906.html

don Miguel Ruiz, “The Power of Doubt”

“The Power of Doubt”

by don Miguel Ruiz

“Have you ever asked yourself if something you heard was actually true? Have you ever wondered if someone was lying to you, or worse yet, have you ever wondered, “Am I lying to myself?” Do you believe those voices in your head that are giving you opinions? Do you tend to believe other people’s opinions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will understand when being skeptical is a good thing.

Right now, you’re delivering a message to yourself and to everyone around you. You’re always delivering messages, and you’re always receiving messages from one mind to another mind. But the most important messages are the ones you deliver to yourself. What are those messages? The word is a force you cannot see, but you can see the manifestation of that force, the expression of the word, which is your own life. The way to measure the impeccability of your word is to ask yourself: Am I happy or am I suffering? If you’re suffering, it’s because you’re telling yourself a story that isn’t true, but you believe it.

When you look at yourself in a mirror, do you like what you see, or do you judge your body and use the word to tell yourself lies? If you believe that you are not attractive enough, then you believe a lie, and you are using the word against yourself, against the truth.

Is it really true that you are too heavy or too thin? Is it really true that you are not beautiful? If you’re telling yourself: “I’m fat. I’m ugly. I’m old. I’m not good enough. I’ll never make it,” then be skeptical. Don’t believe yourself, because none of these messages come from truth, from life. These messages are distorted; they’re nothing but lies. The truth is, there are no ugly people. There’s no universal book of law where any of these judgments are true. Every judgment is just an opinion - it’s just a point of view - and that point of view wasn’t there when you were born.

Everything you think about yourself, everything you believe about yourself, is because you learned it. You learned the opinions from Mom, Dad, siblings and society. They sent all those images of how a body should look; they expressed all those opinions about the way you are, the way you are not, the way you should be. They delivered a message, and you agreed with that message. And now you think so many things about what you are, but are they the truth?

What is the truth and what is the lie? Humans believe so many lies because we aren’t aware. We ignore the truth or we just don’t see the truth. When we are educated, we accumulate a lot of knowledge, and all that knowledge is just like a wall of fog that doesn’t allow us to perceive the truth, what really is. We only see what we want to see; we only hear what we want to hear. Our belief system is just like a mirror that only shows us what we believe.

In our development, as we grow throughout our lives, the structure of our beliefs becomes very complicated, and we make it even more complicated because we make the assumption that what we believe is the absolute truth. We never stop to consider that our beliefs are only a relative truth that’s always going to be distorted by all the knowledge we have stored in our memory. As children, we are innocent; we believe almost everything that we learn, but everything that we learn isn’t true. We put our faith in lies, we give them power, and soon those lies are ruling our lives.

Just imagine becoming the way you used to be as a very young child, before you understood the meaning of any word, before opinions took over your mind. The real you is loving, joyful and free. The real you is just like a flower, just like the wind, just like the ocean, just like the sun. There is nothing to justify, nothing to believe. You have no mission except to enjoy life. You are here just to be, for no reason. Then the only thing you need to be is the real you. Be happiness. Be love. Be yourself. That’s wisdom. It’s the complete acceptance of yourself just the way you are, and the complete acceptance of everybody else just the way they are. The reward is your eternal happiness.

But first you have to unlearn a lot, and you only have one tool to do this. That tool is doubt. Being skeptical is an important part of recovering what you really are because it uses the power of doubt to break all those spells you’ve been under. Whenever you hear a message from yourself, or from someone else, simply ask: Is it really true? With the power of doubt, you challenge every message you deliver and receive. You challenge every belief that rules your life. Then you challenge all the beliefs that rule society, until you break the spell of all the lies and superstitions that control your world.

Once you recover all the power you invested in lies, you can see what is real; you can feel what is real. Even though lies still exist, you no longer believe them. You don’t believe everything anymore, but you can see, and what you can see is the truth. The truth doesn’t need you to believe it. The truth simply is, and it survives – believe it or not. Lies need you to believe them. If you don’t believe lies, they don’t survive your skepticism, and they simply disappear.

Centuries ago, people believed that the earth was flat. Some said that elephants were supporting the earth, and that made them feel safe. The belief that the earth was flat was considered the truth, and almost everybody agreed, but did that make it true? It was nothing but a superstition, and I can assure you that we still live in a world of superstition. The question is: Are we aware of it?

Wherever you go, you will hear all kinds of opinions and stories from other people. You will find great storytellers wanting to tell you what you should do with your life: “You should do this, you should do that, you should do whatever.” Don’t believe them. Be skeptical, but learn to listen and then make your choices. Be responsible for every choice you make in your life. This is your life; it’s nobody else’s life, and you will find that it’s nobody else’s business what you do with your life.

For centuries, there have been prophets who predicted big catastrophes in the world. Not that long ago, there were people who predicted that in the year 2000 all the computers would fail and society as we know it would disappear. The day arrived, and what happened? Nothing happened. Thousands of years ago, just like today, there were prophets who were waiting for the end of the world. At that time, a great master said: “There will be many false prophets who claim to be speaking the word of God. Don’t believe.” You see, being skeptical is nothing new. Doubt takes you behind the words and helps you to discern the truth from lies. And this is a good thing.”

- http://www.oprah.com/spirit/The-Power-of-Doubt

"You Think..."

“You think you will never forget any of this, you will remember it always just the way it was. But you can’t remember it the way it was. To know it, you have to be living in the presence of it right as it is happening. It can return only by surprise. Speaking of these things tells you that there are no words for them that are equal to them or that can restore them to your mind. And so you have a life that you are living only now, now and now and now, gone before you can speak of it, and you must be thankful for living day by day, moment by moment, in this presence. But you have a life too that you remember. It stays with you. You have lived a life in the breath and pulse and living light of the present, and your memories of it, remember now, are of a different life in a different world and time. When you remember the past, you are not remembering it as it was. You are remembering it as it is. It is a vision or a dream, present with you in the present, alive with you in the only time you are alive.”

~ Wendell Berry

The Daily "Near You?"

Greenville, South Carolina, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"Message From the Future: Your Acceptance of Evil Has Condemned Us All"

"Message From the Future:

Your Acceptance of Evil Has Condemned Us All"

by Chris Floyd

"Sometime in December 2016, a strange transmission began bleeding through, ghost-like, on various computers around the world. It would suddenly appear for a few flickering moments while people watched movies or shopped on-line or looked at social media, then it would fade away. It purported to be a message from the future and showed an aged man who claimed he was a chrono-quantum technician whose work had been banned by the authorities to prevent me from doing exactly what I am doing now, at long last - sending a warning to our ancestors. The message was brief, but it was usually badly garbled by visual and aural static; it took weeks to compile, through crowd-sourcing, the full text. For what it's worth, the message - minus the brief intro - is presented below.

"You are taking a path into darkness. It began years ago, with your acceptance of crimes and inhuman practices on a vast scale. In the late 20th century, your leaders once confessed on national television that they had killed 500,000 innocent children with death-dealing sanctions - then declared this atrocious massacre was worth it. Yet there was no outcry, no outrage, no uprising, not even a peep of protest. Indeed, the leader who carried out this massive slaughter of innocent children ended his reign at new heights of popularity and forever after was considered a beloved elder statesman. Your next leader lied brazenly to start a war that killed a million innocent people and led directly to decades of murderous instability in numerous countries. He too ended his days in wealth and comfort and public regard. Your next leader refused to prosecute the crimes of aggression and torture openly committed by his predecessor; instead, he continued his practices, enshrining many of the heinous practices into settled law, waging undeclared war in more than half a dozen countries and personally signing off on extrajudicial murders every week of his reign.

By this time, the moral degradation of the people was so complete - they had countenanced, cheered or ignored so many crimes and so much corruption on so many levels - that they easily fell prey to a voracious, half-crazed demagogue and the forces of fascism, feudalism and lawless rule that he brought into power. This was the nominal end of your democracy, but it was already deeply rotted from within - rotted by your years of turning a blind eye to monstrous crimes committed in your name by both factions in your power structure.

Because of your shameful acquiescence, your shallow understanding of the forces that ruled you and used you and manipulated you, your bedazzlement by public image, your astonishing credulity at the transparent lies and hollow, sinister pieties you were fed, we, your descendants, have lived in squalor, rancor, violence and despair all our lives, for generations. There is no hope for us unless you abandon your slavish ignorance, your adherence to partisan fantasies about the factions of the power structure that rules you and rise up to overthrow it. Instead bring fearless clarity to bear on the reality of what you have accepted. The murder of 500,000 children. The millions murdered in the wars you started and the wars bred by your wars. Assassination. Torture. Dehumanization and demonization of your fellow human beings, both at home and abroad.

It is your acceptance of these things that has brought you to the final turning point. Now there is nothing left for you to do but resist: resist with all your might, with every means at your disposal - but always, always, with the full knowledge of how you came to this place, and your own connivance and collusion in this descent. Keep this in mind as you fight, so that it doesn't happen again. You are not exceptional, you are not plucked out by God for special favor: you are human beings like all the rest, and like so many human beings in so many societies down through the ages, you have failed to look your own evil in the eye, you have failed to confront and condemn acts that make you shudder with horror when you hear of them committed by other nations.

Own this knowledge - this terrible, tragic knowledge - and let it guide as you fight the putrescence that past crimes have now brought gushing forth, and as you build something better in the aftermath. Otherwise, you are lost, and we are lost, the world itself is lost."

- https://www.counterpunch.org/

- www.chris-floyd.com.

The Poet: Mary Oliver, "There Is Time Left"

"There Is Time Left"

 "Well, there is time left 

fields everywhere invite you into them.

And who will care, who will chide you if you wander away

from wherever you are, to look for your soul?

Quickly, then, get up, put on your coat, leave your desk!

To put ones foot into the door of the grass, which is

the mystery, which is death as well as life,

and not be afraid!

To set ones foot in the door of death,

and be overcome with amazement!"

~ Mary Oliver

"The Hyphen..."

"Life is the hyphen between matter and spirit."

- A.W. and J.C. Hare, "Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers," 1827

Freely download here: 

- https://ia804500.us.archive.org/

"Never, Ever Forget..."

"Never, ever forget that nothing in this life is free. Life demands payment in some form for your "right" to express yourself, to condemn and abuse the evil surrounding us. Expect to pay... it will come for you, they will come for you, regardless. Knowing that, give them Hell itself every chance you can. Expect no mercy, and give none. That's how life works. Be ready to pay for what you do, or be a coward, pretend you don't see, don't know, and cry bitter tears over how terrible things are, over how you let them become."

- Ernest Hemingway, "For Whom the Bell Tolls "

"How It Really Is"

 

"Stop It Already!"

"Stop It Already!"

by Brian Maher

“I am most disturbed by the pro-Russia stance held by Mr. Rickards and others in your organization.” Thus moans reader Bill C. Bill’s lament arises in response to a recent reckoning. In that reckoning Mr. Rickards claimed Russia is winning the Ukrainian war. And that claim of Russian victory blanched Bill’s nose: "I have trouble following anyone that doesn’t watch the news. Recently the war has pivoted heavily in the favor of Ukraine."

Just so. Yet what “news” is Bill watching? We must assume Bill’s news sources are what one might label “mainstream” organs. These are the ABCs, NBCs and CBSs of this world. These are the CNNs, MSNBCs and Foxes of this world. These are the New York Times, Washington Posts and USA Todays of this world. All are hotly against the Russian side.

Fake News: We would remind Bill: These are the news sources that gushed over the “Ghost of Kyiv” and the “heroes of Snake Island” as the conflict began. Neither existed. The Ghost of Kyiv was a truly spectral phenomenon and the posthumous heroes of Snake Island who valiantly defied Russian surrender instructions not only lived but surrendered.

These are the news sources that claimed Russia was so bereft of microchips for its armed forces… that it was forced to scavenge them from household appliances.

These are the news sources that claimed Russia would be exhausted of cruise missiles by last spring… that its forces were so depleted of arms and ammunition that they were reduced to assaults with shovels… that Vladimir Putin is an immensely unpopular fellow in Russia… that Western sanctions have virtually collapsed the Russian economy into nonexistence.

Yet Russian cruise missiles continue to maraud Ukraine daily. Proliferating Russian artillery continues to land on Ukrainian heads. Vladimir Putin’s domestic popularity exceeds 80% — our spies have investigated. And even the International Monetary Fund projects the Russian economy to expand this year. Thus the “news” falls into very serious question.

Some “Offensive”: Has the war recently pivoted heavily in Ukraine’s favor, as Bill argues? We are far from convinced that it has. The preponderance of evidence - it appears - runs precisely the other way. 

Nearly two months ago to the very day Ukraine undertook its grand spring offensive. NATO-armed and NATO-trained, its forces would barrel through Russian positions. Within weeks they would push clear through to the Sea of Azov… and bring poor Vladimir to his knees, sobbing and pleading for mercy.

Prodigious quantities of men and equipment went hurling against the Russian positions. Two months later… prodigious quantities of men and equipment continue to go hurling against the Russian positions. To what effect? They have failed to penetrate even the Russian forward defenses. Ukraine - and its NATO bosses - expected to crash through these forward defenses within days. Two months in… there they remain.

It Only Gets Harder: In back of these forward defenses squat Russia’s primary defensive fortifications - with their elaborate trenchworks, “dragon’s teeth,” tank traps, etc. If Ukrainian forces penetrate the forward positions they will encounter the first of such fortifications. If by some miracle of God they run over this dense defense belt, they must then confront another behind… and another behind that one. We might note that the spaces between each of these fortified belts are choked with landmines of the anti-tank and anti-man type.

Meantime, the armed forces of Ukraine are embarked upon offensive operations in the Bakhmut direction. They appear determined to reseize the place from Russia, lost this March. To this end they are assaulting the city’s flanks, north and south. They have attained very modest advances to date. If they seize one pinprick village the Russians shortly rip it from their hands. Any substantive penetration appears unlikely at this juncture.

In all, Ukrainian offensive operations this summer have proved a busted flush. They have reconquered little ground - while enduring savage losses in men and equipment. (Col. Douglas Macgregor claims, to date, Ukraine has suffered 380,000 soldiers killed, the Russians 30,000. - CP)

Unsustainable Losses:

Credible estimates fix Ukrainian casualties near 26,000 in July alone. They fix Ukrainian equipment losses — tanks, armored vehicles, artillery pieces, etc. - at over 2,200 across the same space. Here we say nothing of June’s horrific losses. Has Russia endured its own losses in men and equipment? Most certainly it has - and these losses in men and equipment are likely substantial.

Yet Russia is bunched up in the defensive crouch. And in war it is generally the attackers - in this case the Ukrainians - that withstand the greater casualties. What is more, Russia is in superior position to make its losses good. It boasts deeper reserves of manpower, ammunition and the armaments to shoot them off. The president of the United States has in fact conceded Ukraine’s ammunition lacks. Thus Bill’s claims that the war has pivoted heavily in the Ukrainian direction puzzle and perplex us. Where is the evidence of it?

Who to Believe? Bill claims, “This is also what I have heard from people currently in Ukraine that I have contact with.” We hope Bill’s Ukrainian contacts are well. Yet are Bill’s Ukrainian contacts at the front? How do they discern the war’s direction from their locations? Is it possible that they are victims of Kiev’s own propaganda campaigns?

By our own admission we are not present at the front. By our own admission we maintain no contacts in Ukraine. Yet we do maintain access to the military maps updated daily, both Russian and Ukrainian. None of these maps suggests a decisive Ukrainian pivot… or even a marginal Ukrainian pivot. Even the official news organs above referenced acknowledge Ukraine’s offensive botchwork - at least in hushed and understated tones. They may concede that the offensive is “slow going” or that progress “isn’t quite as great as hoped for” or some such. They of course hold out hope of future wins. “The real offensive hasn’t yet begun,” they may bellow. Yet none of them - at least to us known - claims the decisive Ukrainian pivot Bill cites. Again we ask: Where is the evidence?

No Hard Feelings: In no way do we intend to demean or belittle Bill. We are thankful that he is a reader. We are also thankful that he put aside the time to write us. We note further that Bill’s comments were respectful. They lacked the acid typical of most objectors. And Bill is under no bonds to accept what he reads in these pages. He need not side with Jim Rickards on Russia, Ukraine or anything else for the matter of that. This publication issues no claims of infallibility.

Bill may even be on the side of the angels. Russia did - after all - trespass into Ukraine.We leave aside the whys and wherefores of it all. A good fellow is generally for the trespassed against rather than the trespasser. And Bill is for the trespassed against. We even concede the possibility that Bill is correct. Correct, that is, that the war has pivoted decisively toward Ukraine. Yet we request - with the highest respect - the documented evidence. We will give it a look.

Remember What They Said About COVID? Yet we might also remind Bill that the news sources that claim a Ukrainian pivot… are likely the identical news sources that claimed the virus originated in a Wuhan wet market…That this virus represented a mortal menace to old and young alike, to the ill and healthy alike…That mass lockups would “stop the spread”… that surgical masks would bar the virus from entry…That hydroxychloroquine was the oil of a snake and that ivermectin was paste for horses…That the vaccines would innoculate against illness and halt its transmission… That these same vaccines were “safe and effective.”

How much of it proved true? “If you don’t read the newspaper,” said the great scalawag Mark Twain, “you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re misinformed.” Given these choices… we prefer to be uninformed than misinformed…"

- https://dailyreckoning.com/stop-it-already/