Chet Raymo, “We Are Such Stuff...”

“We Are Such Stuff...”

by Chet Raymo

“Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,

Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.

Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments

Will hum about mine ears, and sometimes voices,

That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep,

Will make me sleep again.”

"Caliban is talking to Stephano and Trinculo in Shakespeare's “Tempest”, telling them not to be "afeard" of the mysterious place they find themselves, an island seemingly beset with magic, strangeness, ineffable presences. And you and I, and, yes, all of us, find ourselves inexplicably thrown up on this island that is the world, and we too, if we are attentive, hear the strange music, the sounds and sweet airs, that seems to come from nowhere and everywhere

No, I'm not talking about the usual ubiquitous clamor, the roar of internal combustion, the blare of the television, the beeping of mobile phones. I'm not talking about the Limbaughs and the Becks, the televangelists, the blathering politicians, the twitterers and bloggers (including this one). I'm not even talking about the exquisite music of Mozart, the poetry of Wordsworth, the theories of Einstein.

I'm talking about the sounds we hear in utter silence, in moments of repose, in the heart of darkness, when we are a little bit afraid, disoriented, off kilter. A strange music that comes from beyond our knowing, a felt meaning. You've heard it. I've heard it. You'd have to be deaf not to have heard it. 

Where we differ is how we describe it. Mostly, we give its source a name. Angels. Fairies. Gods or demons. Yahweh. Allah. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Nixies, E.T.s, shades and shadows. Naiads, dryads, Ariel and Puck. A host of invisible creatures who are, in one way or another, images of ourselves. And, in naming, we are a little less afraid.

And some of us are just content to listen, to take delight. Having woken to the inexplicable mystery of the world- the sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not- we let the music lull us back into a sweet slumber, a kind of dreamless dream, a reverie. Does reverie share a deep root with reverence? I don't know.”

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

"One Chance..."

“You get that one chance; and damn it, you’ve got to take it! If there’s one lesson I know I will take with me for eternity, its that there are those things that might happen only once, those chances that come walking down the street, strolling out of a café; if you don’t let go and take them, they really could get away! We can get so washed out with a mindset of entitlement – the universe will do everything for us to ensure our happiness – that we forget why we came here! We came here to grab, to take, to give, to have! Not to wait! Nobody came here to wait! So, what makes anyone think that destiny will keep on knocking over and over again? It could, but what if it doesn’t? You go and you take the chance that you get; even if it makes you look stupid, insane, or whorish! Because it just might not come back again. You could wait a lifetime to see if it will… but I don’t think you should.”

- C. JoyBell C.

Jeremiah Babe, "Warning! Collapse Of Society And Economy Unstoppable!"

Jeremiah Babe, 8/14/23

"Warning! Collapse Of Society And Economy Unstoppable!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

"We're Going Off A Financial Cliff - Bill Holter"

"As interest payments balloon, a US debt default is mathematically inevitable, says former stock broker Bill Holter. He expects a currency collapse that will destroy the Americans' standard of living. He discusses geopolitical events that could accelerate the crash and concrete ways to prepare for the tough times ahead."

"Food Shortages & What They Don't Want You To Know! Fall And Winer 2023"

Adventures With Danno, PM 8/14/23

"Food Shortages & What They Don't Want 

You To Know! Fall And Winer 2023"

We are exposing the truth behind all of these food shortages, 

price gouging, and what they don't want you to know about all of this!

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Thanks for stopping by!

"Getting Information Off The Internet..."

 

Oh, I know, I know. The world's a complicated place...

"Ukraine/Russia War 8/14/23"

Col.Douglas Macgregor, Straight Calls - 8/14/23

"This Counter-Offensive Against Russia Has Failed Miserably"

"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

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 8/14/23

"Ukraine War - Fighting is Fierce, 

But No Movement w/Ray McGovern fmr CIA"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 8/14/23

"Killing is Not Slowing Down in Ukraine Russia War, 

w/Tony Shaffer, fmr DoD"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Dan, I Allegedly, "Banks Are Setting Up More Phony Accounts"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, 8/14/23

"Banks Are Setting Up More Phony Accounts"

"People are falling victim to synthetic identity fraud. More people are setting up bank accounts by just having partial information on a person. Wells Fargo bank is getting sued again for this."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"Empire of Debt...and Destruction"

"Empire of Debt...and Destruction"

Ukrainian forces retreat, along with the press,

 as the great transfer of power and money continues.

by Bill Bonner

Dublin, Ireland - "In our 2006 book, ‘Empire of Debt,’ we pointed out that empires are typically ruined by a combination of disastrous financial policies (debt and inflation) along with reckless military adventures. We forecast that America would suffer both scourges. The cost of the latter almost guarantees the former. America’s ‘foreign policy’ establishment – Pentagon, defense industries, Congress, embassies, foreign aid…along with involvement in NATO, IMF, World Bank etc. – costs $1.5 trillion per year. So, here’s an update.

Even the toady press now suggests that Russia is winning the Russo-Ukrainian war. Despite months of reports on how the Russian military was falling apart, the latest news shows that Ukraine’s “summer offensive” has failed…and now the Russkies are counterattacking. Moon Of Alabama reports: "Western media have finally changed course. They are now admitting that the much promoted Ukrainian counter-offensive has failed. In fact, they acknowledge that it never had a chance to win in the first place." The Hill, the Washington Post and CNN now agree that the Ukrainian army will never achieve its aims.

In the northeast around Kupyansk the Russians have started their own offensive which has the Ukrainians on the run. Ukraine has ordered the evacuation of the area: "A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for the Ukrainian city of Kupyansk and its surrounding areas, as Russia intensified shelling of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region and claimed to have captured Ukrainian positions near the city on Thursday. But Kupyansk is a Russian city and people refuse to leave."

Megapolitics: Things are not always what they seem. And sometimes, the real meaning is hidden far below the surface. Like the North Atlantic – on the surface, chilly winds blow…and icebergs endanger big ships… while deeper down, a huge undersea current brings water from the southern seas to warm a whole continent. Empires have their own purposes and destinations, too. From the Abbasid Caliphate to the Zulu Empire, they dominate…and then they die.

You don’t have to be a military genius…or get secret updates from the CIA…to see that the West’s proxy war in the Ukraine is not going as well as expected. The Military/Industrial/Spook complex controls the surface weather reports. And it has a keen interest in seeing things a certain way…not necessarily as they are, but as they would like you to think they were. So, to see what is going on, you have to look beneath the waves.

The mainstream press made it sound as if Putin’s aim was to march across Europe, like the Huns in the 5th century, raping the horses and riding off on the women. If so, he had to be stopped. And he was. Like the brave Polish knights who beat back the Muslim army of Mehmed IV in 1683, the Ukrainians put on their armor and stopped the Russians at the gates of Kiev. By that reckoning, Putin has clearly failed. His forces are now holed up in the Russian-speaking Eastern provinces of the Ukraine, where people wanted to leave the Ukraine anyway. But there is no evidence that Putin had any further ambitions than those he openly declared: trying to protect its southwestern flank from further NATO encroachment.

Ulterior Motives: In either case, the Russians – who were said to be such an offensive threat to Western Democracy – are now fighting a defensive war. In deep trenches…protected by mines and artillery…the defenders are hard to dislodge. And from Gettysburg to the Somme, attackers usually suffer huge losses and gain nothing. The ‘summer offensive’ was no exception.

Which leads us to a little question: how come? Military observers must have known that the Ukraine lacked the air support and the artillery to roll over Russian defenses. Why did they let the attack go ahead, knowing it would produce little more than burnout tanks and lifeless bodies?

The same question might be posed about the whole war. How could the US and NATO lose a war in the Ukraine? US GDP is $24 trillion. EU GDP is $18 trillion. Russia’s tiny $1.8 trillion economy is no match.

A clear victory would have sent the Russians running back to their homeland…begging for peace in order to avoid a NATO invasion. Then, beaten and humiliated, Russia would be no further danger. But there was considerable danger and uncertainty. The Russians might ‘go nuclear.’ There could be chaos...confusion…and maybe a civil war in Russia. The idealists hesitated. They say they want ‘regime change’ in Russia…but Putin’s most likely successors are more nationalistic, more anti-West than he is. And if the war were meant to protect democracy, it has been a dismal failure. Responsible statecraft: "Kyiv has outlawed opposition parties, arrested opposition leaders, closed opposition newspapers and broadcast media, cracked down on religious freedom, and indicated that presidential elections scheduled for 2024 will not be held if the war is still underway."

“They Wanted War”: The ‘neo-realists’ drew back too. They want to play the game, not upset the game board. Pursuing a winning strategy would be too risky for them. Besides, the US has no plausible interest in bumbling around the Eurasian steppes.

Already, John Mearsheimer sees the war in the Ukraine as a mistake. Rather than giving battle to Russia in the Ukraine…the US should prepare to confront a more worthy opponent in the Far East. A better strategy, he says, would have been to join forces with Russia to oppose the Chinese titan. As it is, the war pushes the Chinese, Russians, Iranians and others, into an alliance against the US…and even provides them a tutorial on current US military hardware and battlefield tactics.

And so, we have our answer; there never was a realistic path to victory, neither for the realists nor the idealists. In March 2020, Anthony Blinken and Boris Johnson pressured Zelensky not to accept a diplomatic settlement. They wanted war. They provided just enough help to keep the war going, but not enough to end it. It is an imperial war, after all. As a pretext for transferring more wealth and power to the ‘experts’ and their gun-toting enforcers, it has been a great success for all of them. But its deep purpose is to weaken the empire, not strengthen it. And so it continues. A beautiful quagmire…"

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

Jim Kunstler, "No Mas"

"No Mas"

”It’s not Left vs Right anymore, it’s anti-establishment versus pro-establishment.” 

- Glenn Greenwald

by Jim Kunstler

"Karma is God’s hickory switch, and almost always applied with a cosmic chortle. Things come around when a certain excess cargo of cognitive dissonance breaks the brains of those just struggling to carry on. The country has had enough - enough walking-talking hypocrisies, enough trips laid on it, enough Tik-tok lectures from the nose-rings-for-lunch-bunch. We’re at the end of something and the beginning of something new. As in: an ass-beating is coming down.

Cue one Oliver Anthony, southern country boy with a flaming red beard and a new anthem for millions sore-beset by the relentless effronteries of the ruling elites. Rolling Stone Magazine, a ruling elites house organ, played the phenomenon this way:

These things listed above are…what? Things that Rolling Stone is in favor of? Pet causes? High taxes and obese people on welfare? And Mr. Anthony’s song is dissing them? You mean Right-Wing influencers shouldn’t mention Jeffrey Epstein’s name? Is it just plain rude… or does it stir up unappetizing questions that are better off not being asked (in polite company)? Kind of shows you where the battle lines are drawn now, doesn’t it?

Perhaps the final insult galvanizing all this sentiment in a song was Merrick Garland’s devious Friday afternoon announcement - when, theoretically, no one was paying attention - that he appointed US Attorney David Weiss as Special Counsel in the Hunter Biden matter. This is the same David Weiss, you understand, who oversaw the Hunter Biden investigation for the past five years before ascertaining anything that might be chargeable from a vast inventory of financial crimes with an overlay of documented sex and drug transgressions. The same David Weiss who let the statute of limitations run out on many of those crimes while he dawdled and frittered in Wilmington. The same David Weiss who cooked up a wrist-slap plea agreement on all this, with a hidden Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free clause inserted slyly in the fine print of the so-called “diversion agreement” that would have immunized Hunter B against any further inquiries - which Judge Maryellen Noreika discovered only by chance at the last moment, scotching the deal. (And yet, the government now claims that the diversion agreement - and Hunter B’s immunity from further charges - “stands alone,” is “in effect” and “still binding.” Hmmmm...)

This sort of in-your-face audacity sums up Mr. Garland’s reckless, lawless run as a rogue attorney general. But then who do you appeal to for relief? Anybody wondering why there is actually no justice in America these days need seek no further. By the way, the appointment of Mr. Weiss was patently illegal. The Special Counsel statute states plainly that the post can only be occupied by someone not in the employ of the government. Does Mr. Garland not know how this works?

What the AG also flung in America’s face was the “ongoing investigation” dodge that supposedly would allow the DOJ to avoid answering any congressional inquiries into Hunter Biden’s tangled financial crimes, which, after all, were committed in the service of the Biden family global racketeering operation. Has a cover-up ever been more blatant? And so now the time has come to impeach Merrick Garland for breaking the special counsel law and obstruction of justice. It’s pretty cut and dried, and it should be the first order of business when Congress returns from its August recess making the rounds of the county fairs. The second order of business should be the impeachment of “Joe Biden,” if he hasn’t resigned before Labor Day.

o

On a different but hugely consequential note, and related to the long-running outlandish mendacity of the US government, an attorney for the Federal Drug Administration told a federal appeals court in Louisiana hearing a lawsuit last week that the agency actually had no policy against the use of ivermectin for Covid-19.

FDA was not regulating the off-label use of drugs These statements are not regulations they have no legal consequences they don’t prohibit doctors from prescribing Ivermectin to treat COVID or for any other purpose. Quite to the contrary there are three instances I’d like to point the court to in the record that show that FDA explicitly recognizes that doctors do have the authority to prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID.”

How true is that? The FDA coerced Blue Cross and other insurers to warn doctors not to prescribe ivermectin for Covid-19, and likewise the Federation of State Medical Boards and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to not fill doctor’s prescriptions for ivermectin for Covid-19 patients, despite the fact that it was among the best, most effective, and safest treatments for the disease. The FDA put out public service announcements telling Americans not to take ivermectin. The net effect was that state medical boards persecuted doctors for prescribing the drug (e.g., Maine Medical Board’s persecution of Dr, Meryl Nass). Also that hundreds of thousands of Covid-19 patients were denied early treatment, many of whom died.

We all know why the FDA pretended that ivermectin was not allowed to be used. Because it would have removed the Emergency Use Authorization that designated mRNA shots as the sole response to Covid, and it would have obviated the pharma companies’ liability shield for anything that went wrong. Of course, the whole damn thing went wrong and millions are now paying the price. Is this the beginning of the unwind of a colossal crime by those Rich Men North of Richmond against the people of this land?

From The FDA’s Official Website, Dec 10, 2021:

"Rich Men North Of Richmond" Tops iTunes As Voice Of Working-Class Goes Viral"

"Rich Men North Of Richmond" Tops iTunes 

As Voice Of Working-Class Goes Viral"

by Tyler Durden

"The raw honesty of a former factory worker in what could be the protest song of our generation has become an internet sensation overnight. The song "Rich Men North of Richmond" has skyrocketed to No. 1 on iTunes this weekend.

Oliver Anthony, a former factory worker who decided to pursue a life in music last year and is living in the forgotten part of the US, Appalachia, an area plagued with an opioid crisis and abandoned factories, tells the story of the working-class folk who struggle daily while being ignored and mocked by political elites. Here is the first couple of lines from the song:

"I've been selling my soul, working all day, overtime hours for bullshit pay,

So, I can sit out here and waste my life away, drag back home, and drown my troubles away.

It's a damn shame what the world's gotten to for people like me - for people like you.

Wish I could just wake up and it not be true. But it is. Oh, it is."

Rich Men North of Richmond was first posted on YouTube four days ago by "radiowv," which shows Anthony performing an acoustic performance of what some are saying is the "anthem for 80+ million Americans who have been smeared, ignored, mocked, slandered, and robbed by their own government."

This song has gone viral because it resonates with working-class folk -- it's real and raw and just a man and his guitar, three dogs, and singing in his backwoods without a fancy Hollywood studio powered by artificial intelligence. The song continues:

"Living in the New World – with an old soul.

These rich men north of Richmond. Lord knows it all. Just want to have total control.

Want to know what you think, want to know what you do.

And they don't think you know. But I know that you do.

Because your dollar ain't shit, and it's taxed to no end

 because the rich men north of Richmond.

I wish politicians would look out for miners and not just minors on an island somewhere.

Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothing to eat, and the obese milking welfare.

God, if you're five foot three, and you're 300 pounds, 

taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.

Young men are putting themselves 6 feet in the ground 

because all this damn country does is keep on kicking them down.

Lord, it's a damn shame – what the world's gotten to for people like me, people like you.

Wish I could just wake up and it not be true. But it is. Oh, it is.

Living in the New World – with an old soul.

These rich men north of Richmond. Lord knows they all just want to have total control.

Want to know what you think, want to know what you do. 

And they don't think you know. But I know that you do.

Because your dollar ain't shit, and it's taxed to no end

 because the rich men north of Richmond.

I've been selling my soul, working all day, overtime hours for bullshit pay…"

Anthony's other songs, "Aint Gotta Dollar" and "I've Got to Get Sober" and "I want to go Home" and "Virginia" and "Rich Mans Gold" and Feeling Purdy Good" and "Always Love You" and "Stuck Living in the New World" have also jumped to the top 20 songs on iTunes.

Enjoy the song..."

Hat Tip to ZeroHedge for this material.

"Exclusive: Hunter Biden’s Secret Diary"

"Exclusive: Hunter Biden’s Secret Diary"

by John Wilder

"We here at Wilder, Wealthy, and Wise® have come across a huge scoop: we have found the diaries of Hunter Biden from grade school all the way up to last week. They were left on the doorstop of our law firm, Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe with a note that said, “Too hot for James O’Keefe! Good luck, Johnny, I’m your biggest fan! – J.”

Cataloging the material was difficult, and there were times where I became concerned. Later pages were covered with powdery substances, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be in trouble with the DEA if they raided Stately Wilder Manor. No problem – my dog, Foreshadowing, ate them and then ran around the house 43 times. Then all of Foreshadowing’s teeth fell out and checks from Ukrainian mobsters started showing up in my mailbox.

I’ve skipped much of the information in the diaries, since it’s probably good to keep what happens between a man, his dog, seventeen Filipino hookers and a jar of peanut butter private. Of course, none of that happened, which is why I’m grateful the word “parody” exists.

July, 1977: I wanted my dad to take me to see starwars agin but he said know because dad said that he was woried we’d grow up in a raciall jungle. I like jungles! I talked with Beau, and Beau told me to shut up because I was too stupid to understand. I said, no, Im seven so I know wat a jungle is, but Beau said I had brain damage. I think I wanna coke.

June, 1988: Holy cow, boys, having your dad running for president is just friggin’ awesome! I was busted in Jersey with a bunch of drugs. I just flashed my driver’s license. Biden, bitches! It cracks me up that the old man is all “let’s get tough on drugs” but when I get bussssted, nada happens. Old man says that he’ll make a phone call. Cracks me up when dad says in speeches that all drug users should be held accountable. Ha! Unless your name is Biden. Bitches!

In a dictatorship in Africa, we’d call this corruption. Here? We don’t talk about it.

June, 1994: So, dad explains it this way. My grades at Georgetown were crap, but he pulled strings and got me into Georgetown law, which sucks, because Georgetown is so low rent. Of course, Beau had to go to dad’s alma mater, Syracuse. Today, it all changed! Apparently, dad had Bill Clinton call the dean, Guido Calabresi (seriously Goodfellas vibes) at Yale, and I can transfer from Georgetown to Yale! Dad says that since I’m a Biden, well, “don’t worry about grades, son” and I won’t! Woooo! Yale! It’s awesome to have the name Biden, bitches!!!

May, 2001: So, here I am at a law firm. My law firm! It’s called Oldaker, Biden and Belair. Join the firm, get your name on the door! How awesome is that? I think it’s because . . . I’m a Biden, bitches! Partner in one. The other thing is that absolutely no one here cares about how much you drink or how many drugs you do. Drink after lunch to take the edge off? Fine. My name’s on the door. Parties? Plenty of those, and the booze and, well, other things flow freely. I think I’m in heaven.

I love putting on warm underwear, fresh from the dryer. I then look around the laundromat and wonder who it belongs to.

September, 2008: Dad says I have to quit working as a lobbyist because Obummer said so. Dad said that being vice president was way better than being senator, so I have to stop doing God’s work, lobbying for online gambling, biotechnology companies, and colleges wanting federal funds, I mean, the most needy and moral people. I’m so sad.

February 19, 2014: Kicked out of the Navy Reserve today. Dad and I had a discussion, which means he yelled at me. “You idiot, you understood you were getting a drug test, right? And that coke is only detectable for a day or two, right? The head of the Joint Chiefs said that, and I quote, you had enough cocaine in your urine to qualify your urine as a controlled substance.” Yeah, it was bad. Not bad? My company, Rosemont Seneca Thornton, just got $3,500,000 sent to us from a Russian dude! Why? We’re not sure, but all I have to say is... Bidenz, Bitches!!!!

2014 was a very good year.

April, 2014: New job, new job, new job! This one has me being on the Board of Directors of some company in Ukraine. I think they make chlorine gas or helium gas or something. The best part? My salary. $1,000,000. A year! Bidenz, Bitches! Ha! Best part? I’m not sure I have to do anything!

April 14, 2017: My life has kinda been a haze since I got the job at Buriisma. Or however you spell it. A million bucks a year, but they cut my salary to half after dad was no longer veep. Dammit. Why couldn’t he have beaten Aunt Hillary? I think dad was scared, something about, “Don’t cross Hillary, that’s worse than the Chicago Mob.” But today I finally got divorced. Kathy was always upset about the cocaine and the crack and the Filipino prostitutes, but I think it was the video of the dog that got to her. She said, “Hunter, that’s enough. We’re done here.” I didn’t mention that Beau’s widow was looking pretty fine at the funeral... I wonder if that’s what finally put her over the edge? Or the fact that I was bangin’ Beau’s babe was on the front page of Page Six®?

Hunter’s date didn’t like bottles, she only liked it in the can.

August, 2018: Stripper? Arkansas? My kid? Jeez, how much crack did I do that night?

April, 2019: So, my laptop is broken. I think I dropped it off to get fixed, but I was so high that I’m not sure I did that or maybe the laptop ran away. I think the running away part was a dream. Regardless, what bad could come of that?

May, 2019 Met a girl, six days later we’re married. This will turn out well – Biden, Bitches!

October, 2020: Guess they found the laptop. Thankfully, all the CIA dudes signed a thing that said it wasn’t really mine. Whew! Dad would be mad about that if it was. I guess I believe the CIA guys, except a lot of those pictures look really familiar.

July, 2022: My art has done awesome! I must be good at art! My paintings have sold for lots of money! So far it’s over $1,300,000 for like 11 of them. It’s not as good as Buriisma money, but it’s still pretty good. I mean, some of those paintings took me hours to make. One person bought almost $900,000 of them. I’m not sure if she’s the one that dad appointed to that special commission, but, whatever. I’m an artist. Biden, bitches!

Shooting down the Chinese balloon is the only thing Biden has done to stop inflation.

June, 2023: My lawyer says I’m not in any trouble anymore. Turns out that he knows the DOJ guy and they have a deal worked out for special people like me that I can just claim I’ll pay my taxes in the future, and won’t buy anymore guns while all coked up. Excellent deal, plus they said they put in a sweetener – gets me immunity from essentially anything I’ve ever done up to now. Bidenz, Bitches!!!!

August, 2023: That stupid judge threw out my special deal. Dad says it will be fine, though. The same guy who negotiated it for the DOJ is now a “special prosecutor” which means that he “especially” won’t be prosecuting me for anything. And I have a child support deal that makes sure that Arkansas stripper’s kid gets some of my paintings. Sure! I can do about sixty of those a day!

You know, sometimes I like to reflect back on my life. I wonder if I would be an asset to society if I were living a clean, sober, honest life and financially supporting my children while not snorting enough drugs to paralyze Robert Downey, Jr while getting into less trouble for federal felonies than the average man would if they were arrested for jaywalking.

Nah."

- https://wilderwealthywise.com/

"Things Are About To Go From Bad To Much Worse... Here Is The Proof"

Gregory Mannarino, 8/14/23

"Things Are About To Go From Bad To 

Much Worse... Here Is The Proof"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Economic Market Snapshot 8/14/23"

"Economic Market Snapshot 8/14/23"

Market Data Center, Live Updates:

- https://www.marketwatch.com/market-data 

○

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

○

- https://www.asktraders.com/analysis/

○

A comprehensive, essential daily read.

- http://www.shadowstats.com/

○

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."

○

- https://www.dailyjobcuts.com/

Job cuts and much more.

○

- https://www.zerohedge.com/

○

- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

○

- https://wallstreetonparade.com/

○

- https://www.whatreallyhappened.com/

○

- https://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/

○

Commentary, highly recommended:

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

○

"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

Canadian Prepper, "Poland Prepares For Invasion"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 8/13/23

"Poland Prepares For Invasion; Crops Wiped Out; 

Nuclear Test; Fires Rage; Peak Oil Demand"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Disney Sees Big Trouble In Housing Market; Small Banks Will Be Crushed"

Jeremiah Babe, 8/13/23

"Disney Sees Big Trouble In Housing Market; 

Small Banks Will Be Crushed"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Ten Big Box Retail Stores Just Closed Their Doors Forever"

Full screen recommended.

"Ten Big Box Retail Stores Just Closed Their Doors Forever"

by The Economic Ninja

"Since 2017, Retail Dive has tracked major bankruptcies in the U.S. retail industry. Over the years, we’ve chronicled the long decline of once-dominant chains like Sears, and the unexpected and swift demise of others, like Lord & Taylor.

Even in that short timeframe, some retailers have fallen victim to bankruptcy not once, but twice. In 2019 alone, both Gymboree and Payless filed for their second bankruptcies in two years. And in 2020, with many retailers facing shuttered stores and slow traffic, a record number of retailers - including many who had been teetering for years - filed.

Some retailers that enter bankruptcy leave most of their stores behind, opting for a more digital-focused approach, while others are bought out by landlords and continue to operate large footprints. Some brands disappear entirely, while others seem to resurrect again and again. After Toys R Us’ swift liquidation in 2018, for example, the iconic toy brand is now sold at Macy’s.

Now the list includes: Lunya, Rockport Group, Christmas Tree Shops, Bed Bath & Beyond, Shoe City, Tuesday Morning, David’s Bridal, Independent Pet Partners, Party City, Forma Brands."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"The Retirement Crisis Will Push Nearly 50% Of All American Families To A Financial Disaster"

Full screen recommended.

"The Retirement Crisis Will Push Nearly 50% Of 

All American Families To A Financial Disaster"

by Epic Economist

"The retirement crisis can push half of all Americans to the brink of financial ruin, according to a new survey. In today’s video, we will present this and some of the most important statistics and insights that everyone should know about the state of retirement in the United States. Today, millions of individuals in their 60s and 70s are experiencing financial insecurity.

A new survey conducted by Third Way showed that 36% of adults feel less prepared for retirement than their parents. Currently, only 47% of workers in America have access to a retirement plan at their job. Although safety nets such as Social Security and Medicare are offered to some U.S. retirees, none of these can cover a comfortable retirement, and there is no guarantee that they will be sufficiently funded until 2030. We’re, in fact, in the first retiring generation in which more than half of the population doesn’t have a pension to cover part of their retirement costs. In other words, this is the first generation where the majority of Americans must rely on their own saving efforts to prepare for retirement. But at this point, 1 in 3 seniors are already facing a retirement crisis because they have no savings or are at risk of running out of money in the near future.

Meanwhile, 51% of consumers between the ages of 45 and 75 feel they do not have enough retirement savings to last their lifetime. And almost a third, or 32%, are not confident they will have enough money in retirement to cover basic monthly expenses.

Instead of achieving a comfortable retirement, most households in America are facing increasing distress and financial insecurity. While many families actually plan to swap the family house for a smaller one or to move to a less expensive community, when this is a choice, it can be an excellent way to boost your savings. But for many families, downsizing won’t just be an option. It will be almost mandatory.

That’s the result of a recent study published by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research. The findings are alarming. Fully half of the nation’s working-age households will not have enough money to maintain their standard of living once in retirement. Making matters worse, this study assumes a strong working and saving life in which people work until age 65 and annuitize their assets, and even account for Social Security income.

Instead, 42 million out of 83 million working-age households will have to cut back on both luxuries and necessities in order to afford retirement. And inequities in our retirement system are holding younger workers back from achieving economic security during their later years.

The future of our population has never looked so uncertain. For half of all Americans, retirement will not be something to look forward to. It will be an era of struggle and want. It will be a time of despair in the United States. Financial literacy and information are the only way out of this. But unfortunately, that may seem too much for a nation where ignorance is applauded."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: 2002, “Land of Forever”

Full screen recommended.

2002, “Land of Forever”

"Among the Celtic legends is the epic story of the mystical land of Tír Na nÓg, (Land of Eternal Youth). It's a land that knows no sorrow and where nobody ever ages. The beautiful Princess Niamh lives there. If a traveler should find their way there and stay for a few days, they may find when they return to their own land that hundreds of years have passed."

"A Look to the Heavens"

"This popular group leaps into the early evening sky around the March equinox and the northern hemisphere spring. Famous as the Leo Triplet, the three magnificent galaxies found in the prominent constellation Leo gather here in one astronomical field of view. Crowd pleasers when imaged with even modest telescopes, they can be introduced individually as NGC 3628 (right), M66 (upper left), and M65 (bottom). All three are large spiral galaxies but tend to look dissimilar, because their galactic disks are tilted at different angles to our line of sight. 

NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy, is temptingly seen edge-on, with obscuring dust lanes cutting across its puffy galactic plane. The disks of M66 and M65 are both inclined enough to show off their spiral structure. Gravitational interactions between galaxies in the group have left telltale signs, including the tidal tails and warped, inflated disk of NGC 3628 and the drawn out spiral arms of M66. This gorgeous view of the region spans over 1 degree (two full moons) on the sky in a frame that covers over half a million light-years at the trio's estimated distance of 30 million light-years. Of course the spiky foreground stars lie well within our own Milky Way."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210320.html

The Poet: William Stafford, “Starting With Little Things”

“Starting With Little Things”

“Love the earth like a mole,

fur-near. Nearsighted,

hold close the clods,

their fine-print headlines.

Pat them with soft hands -

Like spades, but pink and loving; they

break rock, nudge giants aside,

affable plow.

Fields are to touch;

each day nuzzle your way.

Tomorrow the world.”

- William Stafford

"O You..."

"Life passes like a flash of lightning, whose blaze barely lasts long enough to see. While the earth and sky stand still forever, how swiftly changing time flies across mans face. O you who sit over your full cup and do not drink, tell me, for whom are you still waiting?" 

- Hermann Hesse

The Daily "Near You?"

Highlands Ranch, Colorado, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"'NATO Is Sending Us Here To DIE', Ukrainian Commanders Admit They Are Cannon Fodder For NATO"

Full screen recommended.

Redacted, 8/13/23

"'NATO Is Sending Us Here To DIE', Ukrainian 

Commanders Admit They Are Cannon Fodder For NATO"

"Captured Ukrainian commanders are admitting that NATO is sending inexperienced soldiers to the front lines, essentially turning them into cannon fodder. Western media is waking up to the fact that Ukraine’s counter offensive that started on June 4th was not a counter offensive at all but a total failure. Meaning that they sent tens of thousands of Ukrainian men to their deaths. So...now what?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

And 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died...

"‘I Cry Quietly’: A Soldier Describes the Toll of Russia’s War"

Full screen recommended.

"‘I Cry Quietly’: 

A Soldier Describes the Toll of Russia’s War"

"For Valentyn, a Ukrainian soldier in the Donetsk region, the war’s death toll is more than a statistic. He is tasked with moving wounded troops - and dead bodies - away from the front lines, often under Russian fire."

"Under Russian Fire, 

A Ukrainian Soldier Evacuates the Wounded"

By Yousur Al-Hlou and Masha Froliak

Near Kremmina, Ukraine - "The sound of artillery launching and landing along the front line punctures the stillness of the forest just a few miles away, where combat medics are waiting to receive the wounded. On the horizon, a military vehicle moves along a dusty road and screeches to a halt when it reaches the trees. A soldier named Valentyn parks it there for natural camouflage from Russian drones scouting for Ukrainian military positions.

A group of soldiers, visibly shaken, quickly unloads three bodies that have just been recovered from the front line, placing each one into a plastic body bag and zipping it closed. Their position was shelled and then attacked by a drone, they say. “They’re shooting at you from all sides. You turn, you run, they hit you, and it’s impossible to get away,” said Maksym, who survived the attack. “This is a big tragedy for us.” “One more body is left behind with the Russian soldiers,” he added.

While much of the world’s attention was fixated on the bloody urban battle taking place in Bakhmut, Russia’s campaign in eastern Ukraine was also raging in forests and fields about 50 miles north of the city, near Kreminna. Here, soldiers take positions in trenches surrounded by tall, slim trees, crouching to avoid the direct line of sight of their Russian enemies. “People say it’s harsh in Bakhmut,” said Valentyn, who joined the army seven months ago. “But it’s harsh here, too.”

For the past month, Valentyn has been stationed at this evacuation point, traveling back and forth to the front line almost daily to rescue wounded soldiers and recover the dead. His job requires him to drive directly toward Russian forces, and he has come under fire at times. “There is nothing good about it,” Valentyn said. “What is this war for?”

Ukrainian and Russian military officials have been reluctant to release data on casualties within their ranks, though the U.S. government and military experts estimate that both sides have suffered significant losses in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

For Valentyn, the work of responding to the casualties has been both grim and relentless. “There is blood everywhere,” he said, while cleaning it from his vehicle. “It has a smell. Especially fresh blood.” Bright red liquid trickled through his fingers as he rinsed out a bloodied cloth. He drained the cloth and used it again to wipe off the back seat. “It’s difficult to see young boys die,” Valentyn said. “Sometimes I cry quietly.”

In calmer moments when there is no one to evacuate, Valentyn travels deep into the forest to transport soldiers to and from the contact line, where Ukrainian and Russian soldiers are sometimes positioned just hundreds of meters apart. He said at least one group of soldiers couldn’t make it to their position because Russian troops had already taken it over.

“Every day is scary here,” said Viktor, a soldier who returned with Valentyn. “I feel constant anxiety, for our country and our lives.” His stoic face reflected the fear and horror known only to those who had witnessed the fight in the forest. “Those who haven’t been there will never understand.”

- https://www.nytimes.com/

The ZMan, "The Crisis At The Window"

"The Crisis At The Window"

by The ZMan

"For about six months, starting last winter, Western media talked about a Ukrainian counter-offensive that was supposed to change the direction of the war. These stories coincided with stories about the delivery of various types of equipment, along with expert opinions from retired generals. Late in the spring Washington sent reliable toadies over to Kiev to see the plans and then talk to the media about how the Ukrainians were preparing to deal a death blow to Moscow.

As we get into the heart of August and the third month of the offensive, it is clear to most everyone that it has been a disaster. First came the images of Western armored vehicles trapped in minefields. Images of burning tanks were then followed by video of Ukrainian soldiers struggling to escape the same minefields after their armored vehicles were disabled by mines. Then came weeks of reports in the West about revised tactics that achieved nothing along the front.

As things stand, the most enthusiastic Ukraine supporters say that the counter-offensive has managed to capture about ten square miles. In reality, the Ukrainians failed to make it through the security zone of Russian defenses. This is the area in front of the first defensive lines that are used to slow an attack. In the south, Ukraine managed to capture a few abandoned villages, but relentless Russian attacks from artillery and airpower turned those into Ukrainian cemeteries.

At the start of the offensive, independent observers and Russian sources said the Ukrainians had enough resources to continue their offensive into August. At that point they will have exhausted men and material. At that point, they would have no choice but to stop offensive operations and fall back into defensive positions. Otherwise, they would be forced to cannibalize their lines and leave themselves open to Russian attacks in other areas along the line of contact.

That may have been a generous assessment. Over the last couple of weeks Russian forces in the north have steadily pushed the Ukrainians back. Ukraine has just moved their northern headquarters west to get clear of the Russian advance. They have also ordered the evacuation of Kupyansk, an important town located on the bank of the Oskil River in the Kharkiv Oblast. Reports suggest the Ukrainians simply lack the manpower and equipment to defend the area.

Washington is in a panic because they promised everyone that the Ukrainians would easily smash through Russian lines in the south. The plan was to rush through to the Sea of Azov, thus severing the land bridge between Russia and Crimea. Once that happened, attacks would begin on Crimea. The Russian army would either revolt after the humiliation or simply collapse, causing political chao in Moscow. It is hard to believe, but this was the official narrative.

Interestingly, the narrative was not just another pack of lies from the Kagan cult, but an official assessment from the Pentagon. It has been Western military doctrine that the way to defeat the Russians in a land war is with a rapid, concentrated attack on their defensive lines using armor and infantry. Here is a paper on the topic from 2017 and here is a recent video discussing it in connection with this war. This strategy actually goes back to the Cold War days.

The short version is that Russia organized its army around groups of 800 to 1000 men that operate independently within the defensive formation. These units have, tanks armored personnel carriers and artillery. The NATO strategy was to send overwhelming force at these units, forcing them to retreat in order to preserve their equipment. Russia is known for trading land for resources. They did this in the Kharkiv region last year and in the Kherson region last spring.

What Washington did not notice is that the Russians have moved away from the Battalion Tactical Group to more flexible arrangements based on the situation, terrain, and their own resources. In the south when Ukraine launched its main attack, they did not face battalions, but divisions. Further, the Russians had prepared complex defensive positions designed to trap advancing armored columns. In other words, the Russians read that paper and were ready for it.

Another thing Washington did not notice is that the Russian army has changed in other ways since the Cold War. They have a wide range of electronic warfare systems that work well against modern weapons. They also have incorporated drones in massive numbers that are highly effective against Western armor. The internet is full of videos where a Lancet drone takes out a Ukrainian armored vehicle. The Russians have quickly become the masters of drone warfare.

The main reason the Ukrainian offensive is a catastrophe is the side with the trillion-dollar annual budget has not updated their understanding of the Russian army since the last century. They have not bothered to notice what has been happening on the battlefields over the last eighteen months. Instead, the world’s most expensive military has gone along with the crackpot plans of the Kagan cult, either not understanding what is happening or indifferent to the inevitable results.

The Ukraine war is becoming a microcosm of the crisis of competence. It is not just the scarcity of talented people in the ranks. They still exist in sufficient numbers to keep the system operating reasonably well. The issue is the selection pressure at the top is for true believers and sycophants. The only way to get in the room to discuss the Ukraine war is to be fully on board with the dream of destroying Russia or be willing to humiliate yourself by telling these people what they want to hear.

Imagine the tag team of Victoria Nuland and General Milley replicated throughout the managerial system. Nuland is the maniacal imbecile in charge for no other reason than zealotry, while Milley is the oleaginous flunky with the credentials to provide legitimacy to the rantings of Nuland. The competent are driven from the room, leaving this combination to chart public policy. The general decline in competence that is driving demographics, is driven by this combination at the top.

In the movie Braveheart, Longshanks returns from France to confront his son who was charged with putting down the Scottish revolt. His son has his “advisor” with him, who makes the mistake of speaking out of turn. This is what has happened in the West, except Longshanks died of a heart attack and his son is in charge. The advisor now busies himself telling the son what he wants to hear. Meanwhile, outside the castle walls, the kingdom rattles toward collapse."

- https://thezman.com/

400,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers, 30,000 dead Russians...