"What's Changed and What Hasn't in a Tumultuous Year"

"What's Changed and What Hasn't in a Tumultuous Year"

by Charles Hugh Smith

"What's changed and what hasn't in the past year? What hasn't changed is easy:

1. Wealth/income inequality is still increasing. 

2. Wages/labor's share of the economy is still plummeting as financial speculation's share has soared. 

What's changed is also obvious:

1. Money velocity has cratered. 

2. Federal borrowing/spending has skyrocketed, pushing federal debt to unprecedented levels. 

3. Speculation has reached the society-wide mania level. This is evidenced by record margin debt levels, record levels of financial assets compared to GDP and many other indicators.

Interestingly, every one of historian Peter Turchin's 3-point Political Stress Index is now checked. Recall that these are core drivers of consequential social disorder, the kind that leads to empires collapsing, the overthrow of ruling elites, social revolutions, etc.

1. Stagnating real wages (i.e. adjusted for real-world inflation): check.

2. Overproduction of parasitic elites: double-triple check.

3. Deterioration of central state finances: check.

But what about social changes? This is an interesting topic because social changes are less easily tracked (few even ask relevant questions and compile the data). Social trends are often more difficult to discern, as surveys may not track actual changes in behavior: people may give answers they reckon are expected or acceptable. Here are four long-term trends that may have been accelerated by the pandemic:

1. The residents of overcrowded tourist destinations are sick of tourists and are demanding limits that protect increasingly fragile environments and resident quality of life. Here's a typical observation of a resident in Hawaii now that tourists are coming back: Sunday I saw a group of 30 spring break tourists littering the beach with red cups and bottles of alcohol and trash. They had a table full of booze on the beach and were happily leaving their trash everywhere. No masks and no cares for Hawaii. When they left, instead of using the beach access they all climbed over the fence into someone's yard because it saved them a minute of walking. No I don't miss tourists.

This is a global phenomenon. The absence of tourists has awakened a powerful sense that the profits (which flow into elite hands, not local economies) have taken precedence over the protection of what makes the destination worth visiting.

2. Work from home is here to stay. The benefits are too personal and powerful. Corporations demanding a return to long commutes and central offices will find their most productive employees are giving them "take this job and shove it" notices as they find positions with companies that understand that you can't turn back the clock or ignore the benefits of flexible schedules.

3. Consumer behaviors have changed and are continuing to change. This is not just an expansion of home delivery; it's a re-appraisal of big-ticket spending on concerts, entertainment, sports events and many other sectors that depend solely on free-spending consumers who ignore the recent doubling or tripling of prices.

4. Perceptions of the wealthy are changing. I touched on this topic in "The Coming War on Wealth and the Wealthy" (1/5/21) and "The Coming Revolt of the Middle Class" (1/27/21). Inequality is America's Monster Id, and we're continuing to fuel its future rampage daily."

- https://www.oftwominds.com/

"Economic Market Snapshot AM 4/5/21"

"Economic Market Snapshot AM 4/5/21"

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

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

- John Maynard Keynes

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

Only the consequences are real - to you!

Your guide:

Gregory Mannarino, AM 4/5/21:

"Market Set For Gains At The Open As Economy Collapses"

- https://traderschoice.net/

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"The more I see of the monied classes, 

the better I understand the guillotine."

- George Bernard Shaw

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MarketWatch Market Summary, Live Updates

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

CNN Market Data:

- https://money.cnn.com/data/markets/

CNN Fear And Greed Index:

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

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A comprehensive, essential daily read.

- http://www.shadowstats.com/

April 4th to 7th, Updated Daily 

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Financial Stress Index

"The OFR Financial Stress Index (OFR FSI) is a daily market-based snapshot of stress in global financial markets. It is constructed from 33 financial market variables, such as yield spreads, valuation measures, and interest rates. The OFR FSI is positive when stress levels are above average, and negative when stress levels are below average. The OFR FSI incorporates five categories of indicators: credit, equity valuation, funding, safe assets and volatility. The FSI shows stress contributions by three regions: United States, other advanced economies, and emerging markets."

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Daily Job Cuts

- https://www.dailyjobcuts.com/

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- https://www.zerohedge.com/

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- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

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- https://wallstreetonparade.com/

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- https://www.whatreallyhappened.com/

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- https://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/

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Commentary, highly recommended:

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

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And now, the End Game...

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Oh yeah...

Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind VIII: "Sleep"

Full screen recommended.

Liquid Mind VIII: "Sleep"

Rest...

MUST WATCH! "Los Angeles Is A Giant Ghetto; Hollywood Homeless Wander The Streets; Homeless Apocalypse"

Full screen recommended.

Jeremiah Babe,

"Los Angeles Is A Giant Ghetto;

 Hollywood Homeless Wander The Streets; Homeless Apocalypse"

Prepare yourselves...

"‘Biggest Stock Market Crash Ever’ Likely By End of June"

Full screen recommended.

"‘Biggest Stock Market Crash Ever’ Likely By End of June"

by Epic Economist

"We all know by now that the U.S. stock market is in a huge bubble, and stock bubbles are by no means a new phenomenon in the global equity markets - there are always periods of growth and periods of decline. While some argue that the current valuations mark a booming period for stocks, others are really worried about the recent rally, stressing that we're on the verge of the biggest stock market crash ever. That's what financial writer Harry Dent has been warning, saying that the current market is the riskiest since 1929 and we're about to witness the most catastrophic collapse in all U.S. history. And he is not alone. Several other experts and multiple different measures are indicating that we're fast approaching a disastrous stock bubble burst, and that's what we are going to expose in this video.

Everywhere we look, there are evidences pointing out the stock market bubble is getting increasingly unsustainable. On the other hand, everywhere we look, there is also someone claiming we shouldn't worry about it. However, according to a recent Bloomberg analysis, when inventors start to dismiss indicators, risks, and warnings, that's usually a sign they're trying to hide something - or, at the very least, they are really making an effort to believe this time will be different.

But multiple indicators are showing the market is at extremely stretched levels. Evidently, the stock market is much more complex than metrics can measure, but when all major indexes are flashing a red warning light for a stock bubble burst, it's just not clever to keep overlooking it and thinking it won't hit you. And when we say, all major indexes, we really mean ALL of them. The Buffet Indicator. Tobin’s Q. The S&P 500’s Shiller price-to-earnings ratio. And even more alarmingly, Treasury bond yields.

Shiller's index cyclically adjusts the price-earnings ratio and includes the last 10 years of earnings. On March 30, the S&P 500's Shiller P/E ratio was at 35.61, more than doubling its 150-year average of 16.8, and marking the second-highest reading in its history. But whenever the index raised above 30, things did not end well. In the previous four cases where the Shiller P/E crossed above and held above 30, the stock market crashed anywhere from 20% to as much as 89%. That doesn't necessarily mean stocks will plunge 89% now, but a big drop is certainly expected as valuations have been extended to record highs.

Another indicator raising concerns is the one developed by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Tobin in 1969, known as Tobin’s Q. The ratio compares the market value to the adjusted net worth of companies. Current readings are suggesting the market is almost surpassing the bubble peak reached in 2000. To Ned Davis, one of the most reliable financial analysts in the world, it’s a valuation metrics worth of attention, especially because now the indicator is roughly 40% above its long-term trend. Needless to say, with exceedingly high levels of corporate debt and high bankruptcy rates, the stock market is in huge trouble.

Moreover, Warren Buffet's indicator and the S&P 500 average price-to-revenue ratio are also sending the signal that a bubble burst is ahead. While the “Buffett Indicator,” is a ratio of the total market capitalization of U.S. stocks divided by gross domestic product, the S&P 500 average price-to-revenue ratio is based on current market prices and sales rates of the past 12 months. The Buffet index is now currently at its highest-ever reading above its long-term trend, which implies high valuations aren't supported by real growth. While, the S&P 500 Price to Sales Ratio it's at the highest point it’s been over the past 30-plus years, and that's highly correlated with negative returns.

That’s why financial writer and market-watcher Harry Dent is sounding the alarm for stocks, arguing that this is the riskiest market since 1929. "A huge collapse is coming," Dent warns, pointing out that since there's an everything bubble, "this may be the biggest bubble crash ever - stocks, commodities, real estate. The next crash is the initiation of the next big economic depression, which will be much worse than the one in 2008-2009".

With all that said, it's pretty clear there's no way around the next stock market crash, and it's going to be a BIG, a HUGE one! The evidences are there for all to see - and you should keep on watching the course of events that will trigger the most critical financial disaster ever, here, on Epic Economist. Thank you very much for watching! We hope to have you here for the next video."

 - https://www.epiceconomist.com

"'We're So Stupid Following Our Politicians' - Charles Barkley Unleashes One Minute Of Truth On America"

"'We're So Stupid Following Our Politicians' - 

Charles Barkley Unleashes One Minute Of Truth On America"

by Tyler Durden

"Forget Orwell's "Two Minutes Hate." NBA legend Charles Barkley unleashed 'One Minute Truth' on NCAA-Final-Four-watchers last night, telling viewers that: “I truly believe in my heart most white people and black people are awesome people, but we’re so stupid following our politicians, whether they’re Republicans or Democrats."

Barkley was responding to a feature that detailed how on April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy broke the news about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. to a crowd in Indianapolis, urging people to seek compassion and justice rather than anger and revenge, saying the vast majority of Americans, both black and white, want to live in peace with each other. As a reminder, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated two months later.

This was the same message Barkley offered, as he warned: "I think our system is set up where our politicians, whether they’re Republicans or Democrats, are designed to make us not like each other so they can keep their grasp of money and power." Furthermore, he described what he believes to be the thinking behind the divide-and-conquer strategy: “Hey, let’s make these people not like each other. We don’t live in their neighborhoods, we all got money, let’s make the whites and blacks not like each other, let’s make rich people and poor people not like each other, let’s scramble the middle class.”

This is not the first time Barkley has unleashed uncomfortable truths. In September of last year he dared to speak common sense against the left's calls to defund the police, arguing that poor black communities would be hit hardest by a spike in crime if there is less policing. “Who are black people supposed to call, Ghostbusters, when we have crime in our neighborhood?”

How long will it be before the outrage mob comes for Barkley for taking such a "bothist" common-sense and honest view and refusing to be drawn, like weak CEOs or pandering politicians to one side or the other in our ever more divisive society?"

- https://www.zerohedge.com/

Musical Interlude: Deuter, "East of the Full Moon"

Deuter, "East of the Full Moon"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"To some, it looks like a giant chicken running across the sky. To others, it looks like a gaseous nebula where star formation takes place. Cataloged as IC 2944, the Running Chicken Nebula spans about 100 light years and lies about 6,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Centaur (Centaurus).

The featured image, shown in scientifically assigned colors, was captured in a 12-hour exposure. The star cluster Collinder 249 is visible embedded in the nebula's glowing gas. Although difficult to discern here, several dark molecular clouds with distinct shapes can be found inside the nebula."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200420.html

The Poet: Matthew Schwartz, "Spadecaller", "One Tear"

"One Tear"

"Time once scared his hopes astray

On that day he left for the open sea.

A minute seemed too far away

And tomorrow seemed like eternity.

Time is no friend to an outcast

Whose soul only grieves for its last embrace.

"What is one tear in an ocean so vast

To a hopeless dreamer drifting in space?"

Into the stormy skies he cried those words.

For another chance - knowing it was his last.

His ship sunk beneath the circling birds

And onto a floating plank he clung fast.

After years passed and many a fruitful day,

There, resting near the surf by an ocean lee

Stands an old tombstone worn and gray

With these words found lost at sea:

"From one tear is loving truth spilled

It's the beloved's touch of forgiveness sublime,

The resurrection of hope instilled,

And the most worthy survivor of immortal time."

- Matthew Schwartz, "Spadecaller"

"Big, Bitter Tears..."

"People don't have any mercy. They tear you limb from limb, in the name of love. Then, when you're dead, when they've killed you by what they made you go through, they say you didn't have any character. They weep big, bitter tears - not for you. For themselves, because they've lost their toy."

- James Baldwin, "Another Country"

The Daily "Near You?"

Machias, Maine, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"The Truth..."

 

"The UFO/Fed Connection"

"The UFO/Fed Connection"

by Charles Hugh Smith

"You've probably noticed the recent uptick in UFO sightings and video recordings from aircraft of the extraordinary flight paths of these unidentified objects. Perhaps it's not coincidence that UFO sightings are soaring at the same time as central banks pursue unprecedented monetary policies. Imagine having the power to destroy an entire planet's economy with a weapon that leaves the inhabitants and physical structures intact but vaporizes all the money. This weapon would be a monetary neutron bomb that crippled the planet with intangible force, leaving everything tangible untouched.

As author Arthur C. Clarke famously observed, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," and perhaps the aliens are intrigued by Earth's central bank magic. Consider Federal Reserve money-printing from the aliens' perspective:

1. Money buys tangible things.

2. Tangible things cannot be materialized out of thin air.

3. Money can be created out of thin air. (Chart of U.S. money supply below)

4. This Money conjured out of thin air can then buy tangible things.

5. Creating money out of thin air is thus equivalent to conjuring tangible things out of thin air.

Wow! Magic!

No wonder the aliens are flitting about, trying to understand the Fed's magic. They certainly must be impressed with the arrogance of Earth's central bankers, for example European Central Bank (ECB) chief Christine Lagarde's bold claim to god-like powers: "Investors can challenge the ECB as much as they want."

This calls to mind a fictional Empire's claim to the ultimate power in the Universe. The infinite hubris of Earth's central bankers might well amuse the aliens, who likely have their own version of Those whom the gods would destroy they first make mad with power. The irony of central bank magic is also probably not lost on the aliens: as Earth's central bankers claim to be "saving the world" with their infinite hubris they are actually setting the fuse for the destruction of the planet's economy.

Perhaps the aliens' keen interest in Earth's central bank magic and its potential for destruction results from a wager akin to the Star Trek episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion" in which the god-like aliens place wagers such as Five thousand quatloos that the newcomers will have to be destroyed.

The aliens who've wagered central bank magic will ultimately fail and destroy the planet's economy are currently losing their bet, but the game is far from over. We can presume the aliens are playing the long game, while Earth's central bankers merely think they're playing the long game. Their delusions are of course part and parcel of their infinite hubris."

"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare."

- "Ozymandias"

"Our wills and fates do so contrary run, 

That our devices still are overthrown; 

Our thoughts are ours,

 their ends none of our own." 

- "Hamlet", 3.2.208

-  https://www.oftwominds.com/

Gregory Mannarino, PM 4/4/21: "Markets, A Look Ahead: "We Have Their Playbook."

Gregory Mannarino, PM 4/4/21:

"Markets, A Look Ahead: "We Have Their Playbook."

- https://traderschoice.net/

"How It Really Is"

 

"What Are You Willing To Live For?"

"What Are You Willing To Live For?"

by Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu, Ed.D

"Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What am I willing to die for?” It expresses the will to do something so extremely that one is willing to die doing it. This is a beautiful way of showing the spirit that will enable one to persevere to the very end in accomplishing something. It resonates with bushido, and overcoming the fear of death through complete service. There are even times that people feel the need to sacrifice their lives for a cause.

But there is also a problem with this way of thinking. The inevitable end is death. There is sacrifice. People become martyrs. And their work in this world ends. For some people, this may be a good ending, dying for a cause. They might think, “We’re going to die anyway, so why not die for something good.”

But most of us choose to not die for something. We live, although our state of living may be half alive, half dead, half awake, half asleep, never fully engaged in a meaningful, purposeful, fulfilling life. We live in apathy, cynicism, and callousness in how we treat ourselves and others.

How can we get to a way of living in which we are caring, gentle, and fully alive? What if we asked, “What am I willing to live for?” What means so much to me that I could consciously, intentionally, and mindfully choose to live for it? What might that be for you? For some people, lost in despair and hopelessness, this may be an elusive idea. My father, plagued by alcoholism, depression, and suicidal thoughts, told me that when he asked himself that question, the clear answer was that he wanted to live for his children.

In the film "Letters from Iwo Jima", we see how humans face this question in the most desperate circumstances. As the enemy forces overwhelm their defenses and the Japanese general contemplates his impending ritual suicide, he reflects on living and dying.

"It’s strange. Though I swore to fight here till the end for my family,there’s another me that hesitates to die because of my family." Facing imminent death, the soldier realizes that what he was willing to die for is what he now wants to live for. There is tragedy in this destructive way of living that asks us, “What are you willing to die for?” But knowing this can help us realize what we are willing to live for. For some people, like the general, this realization comes late in life when we have little time left. If we are fortunate to have more time, we can transform our passion into a way of being that is constructive and gentle.

If we ask ourselves, “What am I willing to live for?” What would our answer be? We may discover that we truly have reason to live. It may help us to know what to do with our precious lives now, and would want to do tomorrow, if we are given another day.

Reflection: Ask yourself, “What am I willing to live for?” If this is too intimidating and difficult to answer, try to focus on what’s around you, what’s right in front of you. Think local, of something in your grasp, something possible. Think real, something realistic that needs to be done and you have the ability to do. Think small, it doesn’t matter how small the thing is. Make it simple by asking, “What am I willing to live for today, now?” “What needs to be done today, that if I don’t do it, it won’t get done?”

- https://www.psychologytoday.com/

"Brutal" Abuse Of Power: Watch As UK Police 

Break Up "Unlawful Gathering" Easter Service In London"

by Tyler Durden

"Shocking footage has emerged showing the absurd lengths authorities are willing to go to enforce 'Covid rules' even after vaccines have been made more widely available, with tens of millions having received the jab.

UK police invaded a church in southwest London during a Good Friday service and shut it down because "too many people" were in attendance. Local reports identified that clergy and congregants at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in Balham, at what's a predominantly Polish neighborhood church, were threatened with a fine equivalent to multiple hundreds of dollars, or possible arrest if they didn't leave.

The police appeared to literally burst in mid-service and acknowledged it was among the most important Christian holy days of the year before ordering people to disperse. "I appreciate that it is Good Friday, and you’d like to worship, but this gathering is unlawful," an officer is heard announcing. The church is accusing Metropolitan police of "brutally exceeding their powers":

A message posted on the church's website on Saturday says: "On Good Friday, 2 April 2021, during the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion, at the time of the Adoration of the Cross, the police arrived at the door of our church at around 6pm. We were not allowed to finish the celebration. The police officers found our liturgical assembly illegal, ordering everyone to leave our temple immediately or face a £200 fine for each parishioner present, or even arrest. The faithful obeyed this order without objection. We believe, however, that the police brutally exceeded their powers by issuing their warrant for no good reason, as all government requirements were met." The full video showed multiple officers disrespectfully milling about the altar area and sanctuary while threatening church-goers with arrest.

The past year has witnessed similar scenes in other churches and religious communities. It's further no doubt sent UK churches and Christian communities on edge over the potential "breaking of Covid rules" as people exercise freedom of worship.

Metropolitan Police in addressing the Good Friday incident in Balham seemed to suggest there will be more such crackdowns to come: "This was one of a series of numerous events taking place at the church over the Easter period. We are engaging with church authorities today and will continue to do so in the coming days," a police statement said.

Describing the incident, the Metropolitan Police said, "At around 1700hrs on Friday, 2 April, officers were called to a report of crowds of people queuing outside a church in Balham High Road. Officers attended and found a large number of people inside the church. Some people were not wearing masks and those present were clearly not socially distanced." They expressed "concern" for transmission of the virus, despite the United Kingdom this past week making headlines for the positive development that it recently witnessed its second day in 2021 of zero reported deaths from COVID-19.

The incident unleashed a storm of anger online; however, headed into the first busy Easter weekend where in many places across Europe and the United States lockdowns have been relaxed, and people are eager to get back to "normal" - which includes being able to practice their faith in peace - there's likely to be more confrontations with police and "Covid enforcers" to come."

- https://www.zerohedge.com/

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How much more of this disgraceful insanity will you take, folks?

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - 

because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - 

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -

 because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me - 

and there was no one left to speak for me."

- Martin Niemöller

You'd better decide, before you're forced to, 

before they come for you, when you will finally say, 

"No! No more!"

"Polish Pastor Chases Cops Out of Church on 

Easter Weekend: ‘Get Out! You Nazis!’"

"A Polish pastor at a church in Canada went viral after his blunt response to cops showing up at his church on Easter weekend, presumably to crack down on Covid restrictions. The pastor, Artur Pawlowski, yelled at the police to "get out" and told them not to come back to Cave of Adullam Church unless they have a warrant. “Police came to disrupt Church gathering! Gestapo came again to intimidate the Church parishioners during the Passover Celebration!!! Unbelievable.”

Happy Easter

 
Happy Easter, folks, may your day be full of peace and love.

"In The End..."

"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end,

of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do."

- John Ruskin

"Are We Living In A 'Matrix'-like Superhologram?"

"Are We Living In A 'Matrix'-like Superhologram?"

by David Talbot

"In 1982 a remarkable event took place. At the University of Paris a research team led by physicist Alain Aspect performed what may turn out to be one of the most important experiments of the 20th century. You did not hear about it on the evening news. In fact, unless you are in the habit of reading scientific journals you probably have never even heard Aspect's name, though there are some who believe his discovery may change the face of science. Aspect and his team discovered that under certain circumstances subatomic particles such as electrons are able to instantaneously communicate with each other regardless of the distance separating them. It doesn't matter whether they are 10 feet or 10 billion miles apart. Somehow each particle always seems to know what the other is doing. The problem with this feat is that it violates Einstein's long-held tenet that no communication can travel faster than the speed of light. Since traveling faster than the speed of light is tantamount to breaking the time barrier, this daunting prospect has caused some physicists to try to come up with elaborate ways to explain away Aspect's findings. But it has inspired others to offer even more radical explanations.

University of London physicist David Bohm, for example, believes Aspect's findings imply that objective reality does not exist, that despite its apparent solidity the universe is at heart a phantasm, a gigantic and splendidly detailed hologram. To understand why Bohm makes this startling assertion, one must first understand a little about holograms. A hologram is a three- dimensional photograph made with the aid of a laser. To make a hologram, the object to be photographed is first bathed in the light of a laser beam. Then a second laser beam is bounced off the reflected light of the first and the resulting interference pattern (the area where the two laser beams commingle) is captured on film. When the film is developed, it looks like a meaningless swirl of light and dark lines. But as soon as the developed film is illuminated by another laser beam, a three-dimensional image of the original object appears.

The three-dimensionality of such images is not the only remarkable characteristic of holograms. If a hologram of a rose is cut in half and then illuminated by a laser, each half will still be found to contain the entire image of the rose. Indeed, even if the halves are divided again, each snippet of film will always be found to contain a smaller but intact version of the original image. Unlike normal photographs, every part of a hologram contains all the information possessed by the whole. The "whole in every part" nature of a hologram provides us with an entirely new way of understanding organization and order. For most of its history, Western science has labored under the bias that the best way to understand a physical phenomenon, whether a frog or an atom, is to dissect it and study its respective parts. A hologram teaches us that some things in the universe may not lend themselves to this approach. If we try to take apart something constructed holographically, we will not get the pieces of which it is made, we will only get smaller wholes. This insight suggested to Bohm another way of understanding Aspect's discovery. Bohm believes the reason subatomic particles are able to remain in contact with one another regardless of the distance separating them is not because they are sending some sort of mysterious signal back and forth, but because their separateness is an illusion. He argues that at some deeper level of reality such particles are not individual entities, but are actually extensions of the same fundamental something.

To enable people to better visualize what he means, Bohm offers the following illustration. Imagine an aquarium containing a fish. Imagine also that you are unable to see the aquarium directly and your knowledge about it and what it contains comes from two television cameras, one directed at the aquarium's front and the other directed at its side. As you stare at the two television monitors, you might assume that the fish on each of the screens are separate entities. After all, because the cameras are set at different angles, each of the images will be slightly different. But as you continue to watch the two fish, you will eventually become aware that there is a certain relationship between them. When one turns, the other also makes a slightly different but corresponding turn; when one faces the front, the other always faces toward the side. If you remain unaware of the full scope of the situation, you might even conclude that the fish must be instantaneously communicating with one another, but this is clearly not the case.

This, says Bohm, is precisely what is going on between the subatomic particles in Aspect's experiment. According to Bohm, the apparent faster-than-light connection between subatomic particles is really telling us that there is a deeper level of reality we are not privy to, a more complex dimension beyond our own that is analogous to the aquarium. And, he adds, we view objects such as subatomic particles as separate from one another because we are seeing only a portion of their reality. Such particles are not separate "parts", but facets of a deeper and more underlying unity that is ultimately as holographic and indivisible as the previously mentioned rose. And since everything in physical reality is comprised of these "eidolons", the universe is itself a projection, a hologram.

In addition to its phantomlike nature, such a universe would possess other rather startling features. If the apparent separateness of subatomic particles is illusory, it means that at a deeper level of reality all things in the universe are infinitely interconnected.The electrons in a carbon atom in the human brain are connected to the subatomic particles that comprise every salmon that swims, every heart that beats, and every star that shimmers in the sky. Everything interpenetrates everything, and although human nature may seek to categorize and pigeonhole and subdivide, the various phenomena of the universe, all apportionments are of necessity artificial and all of nature is ultimately a seamless web.

In a holographic universe, even time and space could no longer be viewed as fundamentals. Because concepts such as location break down in a universe in which nothing is truly separate from anything else, time and three-dimensional space, like the images of the fish on the TV monitors, would also have to be viewed as projections of this deeper order. At its deeper level reality is a sort of superhologram in which the past, present, and future all exist simultaneously. This suggests that given the proper tools it might even be possible to someday reach into the superholographic level of reality and pluck out scenes from the long-forgotten past.

What else the superhologram contains is an open-ended question. Allowing, for the sake of argument, that the superhologram is the matrix that has given birth to everything in our universe, at the very least it contains every subatomic particle that has been or will be - every configuration of matter and energy that is possible, from snowflakes to quasars, from blue whales to gamma rays. It must be seen as a sort of cosmic storehouse of "All That Is." Although Bohm concedes that we have no way of knowing what else might lie hidden in the superhologram, he does venture to say that we have no reason to assume it does not contain more. Or, perhaps the superholographic level of reality is a "mere stage" beyond which lies "an infinity of further development."

- http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~sai/hologram.html

"The Only Cure..."

"We're all susceptible to it, the dread and anxiety of not knowing what's coming. It's pointless in the end, because all the worrying and the making of plans for things that could or could not happen, it only makes things worse. So walk your dog or take a nap. Just whatever you do, stop worrying. Because the only cure for paranoia is to be here, just as you are."

- Dr. Meredith Grey, "Grey's Anatomy"

Graphic: "Anxiety", Edward Munch, 1894

"Brace Your Self For A Catastrophic Housing Crash: Bubble Explodes & Inventory Fall Like Never Before"

Full screen recommended.

"Brace Your Self For A Catastrophic Housing Crash: 

Bubble Explodes & Inventory Fall Like Never Before"

by Epic Economist

"The meteoric rise in home prices continues to fiercely inflate the housing market bubble, but everyone - from realtors to financial analysts, and even buyers - can see that the break-neck pace of price appreciation isn't sustainable for much longer. Whether due to a fatal hike in mortgage rates, construction issues, or a historic inventory shortage, a housing bubble burst is looming on the horizon. Prices will have to face a major correction as increasingly more Americans are being ruthlessly pushed out of the market.

The fact that this unprecedented home-buying frenzy is occurring amid one of the worst economic recessions this country has ever experienced is showing us how this boom is being artificially fueled by record-low interest rates, but since inflation risks are mounting and the Federal Reserve has already started to elevate rates to levels not seen in almost a year, it seems that a devastating housing crash is fast approaching and that's what we're going to analyze in this video.

In less than a year, the average home price in the United States jumped a whopping 16 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors, and the increase was even higher in some regions of the country, such as the Northeast and West, which are both up 21% from last year. On the other hand, housing inventory remains at record lows.

Buyers have engaged in a wild frenzy to find a new home. Recent reports are outlining that most homes don't stay more than 2 weeks on listings and oftentimes they are sold way above listing prices. In California, a $400,000 house had 122 offers in 2 days, which highlights buyers' desperate run regardless of skyrocketing real-estate prices. The absurd number of offers is a symptom of a market artificially stimulated by low mortgage rates, which has been contributing to keep demand heated, and therefore, to continuously fuel the housing price bubble.

A recent realtor.com report revealed that, right now, the national median home list price is at $370,000. Meanwhile, to become a homeowner today households have to possess at least double the wealth they had a decade ago. The break-neck pace of home price appreciation is causing disturbing distortions all across the market. Real-estate firms are worried this out-of-control bubble could soon trigger a housing crash, particularly because the affordability crisis is keeping potential buyers out of the market.

One of the main reasons this is happening is due to the utterly reckless monetary policies of our leaders. Although the near-zero interest rates supported the housing rally and the formation of several asset bubbles, considering that our money supply has almost gone vertical, climbing from 4 trillion dollars to 18 trillion dollars in just 12 months, inflation fears have started to arise. In turn, the Federal Reserve already has begun the process of rising mortgage rates to prevent the economy from overheating.

Consequently, most home buyers will have to face some tough choices: they will have to either lower their budget to purchase the property they want or completely exit the market as the dream of owning a home simply isn’t within their means anymore. That will undoubtedly add extra pressure on the rate of home price appreciation, since its clear unsustainability might spark a disastrous housing market crash. Furthermore, one of the sharpest analyses of this splendid bubble comes from Wolf Richter, on WolfStreet.com, who provided a more accurate way to evaluate the extension of this crisis by looking at the National Case-Shiller Home Price Index.

The most disturbing data come as the index scrutinized the surge in home prices over the past two decades. In January 2000, the index was set at 100. Now, it is at 236, meaning that house prices have soared on average by 136% since January 2000. Moreover, as Ritcher explains that "no housing market can produce enough homes when homes are massively used as vacant investment speculations. Because this creates an artificial shortage," citing homeowners who are waiting for the bubble to inflate even further so that they can accumulate equity and sell their house when the bubble reaches its peak.

The Fed may have created this false impression that they will be able to move heavens to continue to inflate every conceivable asset bubble, but in real terms, we're very close to hitting our monetary policy limit. And as money stops being poured into the markets, mortgage rates are forced up, and other asset bubbles start busting, prices will face a correction and the value of homeowners' assets will inevitably fall. There is no shortage of warnings that a dramatic housing market crash is ahead, and we should all watch very closely the next unfoldings of this crazy home buying euphoria here, on Epic Economist."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com

"I Know..."

 

Musical Interlude: 2002, "Inner Light"

Full screen a must!

2002, "Inner Light"

Chet Raymo, “At Home In An Infinite Universe”

“At Home In An Infinite Universe”

by Chet Raymo

“They are questions that bedeviled thinkers for thousands of years: Is the universe infinite or finite, eternal or of a finite age? It is certainly hard to imagine a universe that extends without limit in every direction, or a universe without a beginning or end. It is equally difficult to imagine a finite universe; what is beyond the edge? Or a beginning or end in time; how can something come from nothing? how can what is cease to be?

The problems are so intractable philosophically that their resolution has generally been left to the theologians, which from a philosophical (or scientific) perspective offers no solution at all. Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for proposing a philosophical resolution (an infinite universe) that offended theology.

An escape from befuddlement is provided by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which - for example - can describe a finite universe without a boundary, as the “two-dimensional” surface of a sphere is finite and without an edge. Unfortunately, multi-dimensional curved space-time is so counterintuitive that it is difficult to get one’s head around it without mastery of the mathematics. Given a choice between the ancient myths of your local preacher and the obtuse mathematics of the physics professor, it’s not hard to guess what most folks will opt for.

I have reviewed a book by physics professor Chad Orzel called “How To Teach Relativity To Your Dog.” It’s a fun romp, and clever pedagogy, but I can’t imagine it making the best seller list, much less displacing “Heaven Is For Real.”

Meanwhile, I’m reading a meditation on infinity by physics professor Anthony Aguirre, in a collection of essays called “Future Science.” He discusses contemporary cosmological theories based on general relativity, and in particular the rehabilitation of the idea of an infinite and eternal universe, or, more precisely, that our universe might be just one of an infinity of infinite universes. He writes in conclusion: “What seems clear, however, is that infinity can no longer be safely ignored; beautifully constructed, empirically supported, self-consistent theories have brought infinity from idle curiosity to central player in contemporary cosmology. And if correct, the worldview these theories represent constitutes a perspective shift unlike any other: in comparison to the universe, we would be not just small but strictly zero. Well, I can’t imagine many folks racing to embrace that conclusion."

Oh, but wait. Aguirre adds one final sentence: “Yet here we are, contemplating – if not quite understanding – it all.”

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

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Full screen recommended.

Vangelis, “Cosmos: A Tour of the Universe”

The Poet: Robert Frost, “Acceptance”

“Acceptance”

“When the spent sun throws up its rays on cloud

And goes down burning into the gulf below,

No voice in nature is heard to cry aloud

At what has happened.

Birds, at least must know

It is the change to darkness in the sky.

Murmuring something quiet in her breast,

One bird begins to close a faded eye;

Or overtaken too far from his nest,

Hurrying low above the grove, some waif

Swoops just in time to his remembered tree.

At most he thinks or twitters softly, ‘safe!’

Now let the night be dark for all of me.

Let the night be too dark for me to see

Into the future. Let what will be, be.”

- Robert Frost

The Daily "Near You?"

Ravena, New York, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

MUST WATCH! "Homeless Man Talks Reality; Nightmare Coming To America; Homelessness Out Of Control; Tent Cities"

Full screen!

Jeremiah Babe,

"Homeless Man Talks Reality; Nightmare Coming To America;

 Homelessness Out Of Control; Tent Cities"

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"America The Beautiful"

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4/3/21: "Feds Warn Mortgage Firms: 'Tidal Wave 

Of Distress' Coming As Forbearance Programs Set To Lapse" 

There but for the grace of God... yet. 

"On Not Needling"

"On Not Needling"

by Eric Peters

"Rational people are defined by their refusal to do irrational things. They ask why – as opposed to saying, ok. A fine example of this would be a healthy person’s decision to not wear a “mask” – or permit himself to be “vaccinated” for an illness that poses next-to-nil threat of serious illness to a healthy person. It would be like someone in their 20s going coffin-shopping. Or giving up driving because there is a small chance they might die in a car wreck.

But granny might die! Well, then granny should wear a “mask” – or stay home. Just as granny shouldn’t drive if she can’t see. Mean spirited? No more so than a blind person insisting no one else can drive because they can’t see.

Why wear a “mask” when you aren’t sick? It makes as much sense as wearing a raincoat when it isn’t raining. It makes even less sense to partially wear it, as many perfectly healthy people who wear these “masks” regularly do, as for example when entering a restaurant – and then not wearing it when they sit down to eat. This is as preposterous as taking a raincoat off and on in a thunderstorm. It’s either “raining” – or it isn’t.

The truth is these people are pathetic Kabuki performers who believe in the theater of obedience. If they really believed it was “raining” the ‘Rona, they’d never lower their “masks.” That would be like taking off one’s raincoat in the middle of a thunderstorm.

It would be worse, actually. Would you ever take off your “mask” in a closed room full of people exhaling hantavirus Or for that matter any virus you actually believed might kill you? That they do take off their “masks” – which are often just old bandanas or disposable dust masks anyhow – after performing the required Kabuki – in order to be allowed to engage in what used to be considered normal everyday interactions – is as much a measure of their slavish poltroonery as it is of their hypocrisy.

Why get a “vaccine” – as this unknown substance they are trying to cajole and even force us all to take is styled – when you aren’t sick? One that might very well make you sick? The facts about the risk of the “vaccine” are not known. We don’t even know what’s actually in the “vaccine.” But they want us to put this in our bodies.

What rational person allows himself to be injected with a “vaccine” that contains who-knows-what and which might cause who-knows-what manufactured by legally immunized pharmaceutical cartels with a massive monetary motive to establish a regime of forced mass “vaccinations”?

Meanwhile, it is known that the ‘Rona does not kill 99.8-something percent of the healthy population. What rational person willingly assumes an unknown risk – that of taking a “vaccine” of who-knows-what that might do who-knows-what – which the manufacturers of have eliminated their risk of being held accountable for in the event you do get sick?

Would you buy a car on this basis? Would a company be allowed to sell a car on this basis? Rational people ask such questions – and expect answers. They get pressured, instead. They are characterized as “anti” vaccines. Which is the same as saying rational people are “anti” wearing of raincoats in the sunshine.

It is true – but not in a derogatory sense. It is true in a rational sense. The problem is that the rational – who ask rational questions and demand rational answers – are being pathologized by the pathological.

There is an assertion about the “vaccine” that bears examination. It is claimed to be “95 percent” effective. That 5 percent not-effective is a much higher number – several whole numbers higher – than the fractional number representing the known risk of “the virus” to healthy people. Why is it being characterized as unhealthy to point out such incongruities? To ask rational questions based upon such factual considerations? There is also the very real risk of normalizing this pathologically dangerous business of insisting that healthy people submit to “vaccinations” of who-knows-what, with all the risk of the taking thereof on the person being injected with who-knows-what as a general principle.

Not just this “vaccine.” Future “vaccines” – which the pushers of this “vaccine” are already openly saying there will be more of. Given that The Variants! The Variants! – the ululation which is replacing The Cases! The Cases! – are potentially innumerable, it is likely there will be innumerable “vaccines” pushed upon the population, there being quite a lot of money to be made when you can force the entire population – or almost all of it – to take your product. Especially when you’re not liable for whatever harm your product ends up inflicting on the people who are forced to take it.

How much is your health – which is fine right now and probably has been since before this mess began – worth to you? How about your future fertility? How about the risk that your joints might ache for the rest of your life? These are some of the known risks – the admitted risks – of the “vaccine.” The liability for which is all yours, baby.

How much unknown risk are you willing to assume – for the sake of avoiding the well-known nearly nil risk of more than maybe feeling not-so-good for a few days? If you even get sick at all. If – as asserted – the “vaccine” is so very safe, then why are the manufacturers legally immunized from any harms it may cause? Perhaps if the same liability were in force that is in force for the manufacturers of cars, there would be less skepticism about these “vaccines.”

Rational people weigh such considerations. Irrational people are carried away by their fears – and by their pathetic willingness to assume the risk of god-knows-what and the absolute certainty of some very unpleasant future things to come for the sake of being allowed to resume a degree of their formerly “normal” lives. They agreed to this a priori – when they submitted to the Kabuki of “mask” wearing, the whole point of which was to suborn not just their but everyone else’s submission to the “vaccine.” One follows the other as logically as accepting a hand on the thigh often leads to hands placed elsewhere. Can you feel it making its next move?

The whole point of the “masking” was – and remains – to get 100 percent of the population to demonstrate publicly that they are terrified of a “virus” that doesn’t kill 99.8-something percent of the population. In order to force 100 percent of them to accept a “vaccine” 99.8-something percent of them need like they need a raincoat in a thunderstorm – only with consequences that are far worse than merely looking like an idiot."

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

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4/3/21: "Death Rates Skyrocket in Israel Following 

Pfizer Experimental COVID 'Vaccines'”

"How It Really Is