Wednesday, November 24, 2021

"Marcus Aurelius: How To Live Without Fear”

"Marcus Aurelius: How To Live Without Fear”
Developing strength by having power over the mind.
by Harry J. Stead

“The Roman Emperor Antoninus died in 161 and Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus assumed the roles of co-emperors. But, Aurelius’ rule was a challenging period for the Roman Republic. He spent the first years of his reign fighting the Roman–Parthian War of 161–166. During this war, the Empire suffered great difficulties and losses but eventually re-occupied Edessa in Greece where the deposed king was returned to the throne. However, the returning soldiers brought back with them a plague that would torment much of Europe for years, killing around five million people.

Later, from 166 to the end of Aurelius reign in 180, the Empire fought the Marcomannic Wars, where Germanic tribes continuously invaded Roman territory across the northern frontier regions. The Roman army, after a long struggle, managed to push back the invaders and re-establish the frontiers of the Empire.

Marcus Aurelius acquired the reputation of a philosopher king within his lifetime, and the title would remain his after death. He was a practitioner of Stoicism, and his personal philosophical writings, which later came to be called Meditations, are a significant source of the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy.

Marcus Aurelius wrote the majority of the twelve books of the “Meditations” at Sirmium (modern day Serbia), where he spent time planning military campaigns and strategy during the Marcomannic Wars. A few of the books were written while he was positioned at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia. And, the internal notes tell us that the first book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron in Slovakia).

“Meditations” served as Aurelius’ journal, a private source of his own guidance and wisdom during times of darkness. His words are simple and honest, and the sentences are delivered like entries in a diary; the pages seem to be a list of quotations, all varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs. It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever thought someone would publish these writings. He simply wished to record what he believed to be true.

But, when reading “Meditations”, we do not get the sense that the author was, at the time, the most powerful man on the continent. The vulnerability of Aurelius’ words falls onto one’s heart, and you feel yourself empathising not with the vast fears of a Roman Emperor, where war and power are all that must occupy the mind, but, instead, with the melancholy struggles of a rather lonely man. For Aurelius was a man with no equals, a man who had all the wealth and beauty in the known world, yet no one to share it with. So sad are his words that the reader imagines the author to be a fragile being with the same worries and doubts as ourselves, rather than a head of state with a breast plate and a red cloak.

The journal was an attempt to counsel himself through his own darkness. The reader feels comfortable and calm with his words; we cannot help discover ourselves in each of his little splashes of wisdom. But, I suppose this is the nature of the diary. For diaries are intimate and individual, they allow the author to open their hearts and express their deepest passions.

And, by expressing our own unique message, the lyrics of our hearts, we touch upon a universal truth that speaks to everyone. Here lies the beauty of Meditations and the reason why it has been a major source of guidance to a great many people for almost two thousand years.

“A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.”
- “Meditations”, Marcus Aurelius

John Dalberg-Acton, a 19th century British politician, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” He was correct. Power does tend to corrupt the individual, but only because power exposes the true nature of the ruler, not because it turns the ruler sour.

Marcus Aurelius is, perhaps, the exception to this law in Western history. He was the only ruler that somewhat resembled Plato’s idea of the philosopher king  –  he was the last Good Emperor. This is easy to see when reading his journal.

The central theme to “Meditations” is that if one wishes to keep a tranquil soul, then he should live according to nature. This is the underlining idea of almost every sentence he wrote in “Meditations.” Clearly, he tried hard to remind himself of this wisdom lest he become a tyrant just as those who came before and after him did.

“If you are distressed by anything external, 
the pain is not due to the thing itself,
 but to your estimate of it; 
and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
- Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations”

The temptation to control and handle every movement of the European continent must have been overwhelming. Because, as an emperor, Aurelius had to stand firm against the weight of a vast and over stretched Empire; he was a god, waving a red sword over a map of the entire world. Yet, he was also a man among men, carrying the same limitations and burdens of those who served him. He was not all-powerful or all-seeing, but the people expected him to be.

But, nature made Aurelius an emperor and so he believed it his calling to live up to his greatest potential. He did not lose himself in wine and women and become a victim of lust and desire, as many others had done, nor did he rule from fear and anxiety. The man had a beautiful soul. He could have had everything he wanted, he could have fulfilled his deepest passions and desires, yet he chose instead to pursue the end that was good for everyone. Power does not corrupt, power entertains the irrational and exposes the dirt within the soul.

“You have power over your mind  –  not outside events.
 Realize this, and you will find strength.”
- Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations”

The wise man, the truly good man, Aurelius thought, is in control of his own soul. This is all that concerns him –  to be at peace with his own spirit. He only fears making chaos of his soul for it is the only power that he has responsibility for. If he loses control, then he loses himself and is powerless to fulfill his obligation to nature. And, tranquility requires that one releases all that which he cannot control. But, how great of a challenge must this have been for an emperor! For Aurelius stood over a kingdom that faced continuous threats of invasion from all sides, even from within.

Marcus Aurelius lived with a radical acceptance of nature. He moved through his days with no expectations; he never struggled against his fate nor did he resign himself in self-pity if the world betrayed him. No event should be mourned or celebrated. Because the victories of today may well be the cause of our demise tomorrow. Acceptance, only acceptance. And, with acceptance you will be able to find pleasure in each thunder and lightning that befalls you. Each event, in the eyes of a wise man, is a teacher, a lesson, a chance, a sign.

Aurelius believed that life never ought to be different from what it is and so he was able to greet the future with joy and compassion. Life continues to unfold and we should rejoice in every page for it is our fate, the will of nature.

Nature is unchangeable; we must not fight against it. Fighting against that which does not fall is foolish and will only leave us with a troubled spirit. Nothing outside of yourself should have power or friction over your peace.

Leave that which you do not control in the hands of God or nature. But, for that which you do control  – your soul, your emotions, your thoughts –  learn to steer them in your favor. Because every man suffers a great deal in their life, but not all people pity themselves. There is a choice.

Aurelius constantly reminded himself of this message in his journal so that he could practice its wisdom in his day-to-day life. And, in doing so, he freed himself from all that which could harm the peoples of his Empire  –  grief, fear, anger, and anxiety. For the peace of the Empire mirrored the peace of the emperor — he was the embodiment, the great incarnation of the kingdom. Because, in an autocracy, when the emperor falls sick, so must the Empire.

“The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to 
look things in the face and know them for what they are.”
-  Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations”
Marcus Aurelius’ work “Meditations,” written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, is still revered as a literary monument to a government of service and duty. It serves as an example of how Aurelius approached the Platonic ideal of a philosopher-king and how he symbolized much of what was best about Roman civilization.”
Freely download, in PDF format, “Meditations,” by Marcus Aurelius, here:

“24 Life Lessons By An Old Greek Shepherd”

“24 Life Lessons By An Old Greek Shepherd”
by George Giotis, Greece by Greeks

1. “The road to the destination is never straight. To reach out to the winter shelter someone must take a lot of turns, travel along rough roads, suffer losses. You have to make sure that you always take food supplies with you.

2. Leave the past behind. If a wolf eats your goat, you can’t do anything about it. Just make sure that next time you will be more careful.

3. Don’t live just for saving money and don’t be stingy. Don’t postpone the tasting of joy for future times. Do it now, while you are still young. Make your hard work worth even more.

4. Struggle, fight. You are the only one in charge of yourself. Don’t be truant, don’t expect your dogs to do all the work in herding the sheep.

5. Ask for the respect you deserve, don’t let others use you as a doormat. Set limits, put up fences, protect your animals.

6. Blessed are the ones who make mistakes. Make mistakes. These are life lessons, we call these experience. Don’t forget who you were until yesterday. Start today and define with your actions who you are going to be from now on.  Learn to forgive, starting with yourself. Don’t feel guilty, you have no time for that.

7. Blessed are those who doubt. Don’ t let your life be ruled by dogmas. Remember that if some people hadn’t doubted previous knowledge, mankind would have still lived in caves. Examine the information, be skeptical, think critically, think rationally, revise. You haven’t seen any fairies and ghosts in the forest, just wolves.

8. Be careful. Observe others. Look them in the eyes. Like a Greek saying, “If it is not shown in the goat, it is shown by the horn.”

9. Life is a journey, not a destination. And it is valuable. The previous word you read already belongs to the past.

10. Don’t advise the young constantly, it’s a waste of time. There is no right way to teach them pain or misery, solely experience will do that.

11. Go travel! Trips are experiences that stay with us forever. Get out, try, taste, savor images greedily. Let your senses free. Expose yourself, let it go, crumble, lose your self-control from time to time. Not just your self-control, but stop controlling others too.

12. You have been isolated enough in your winter shelter, get out. Go find your friends and companionship.

13. Do not try to control others. You condemn in anxiety and suffering not only yourself, but also those who you try to control. Let others live, and live for yourself. Leave the other flocks to their shepherds, take care of yours. 
14. Life is not fair. The universe does not owe you any solace, and it is certain that at the end of the road you die. Hurry up.

15. You can be a winner. Learn from those around you. Become a child with children, play with them, but also go to the cafe and talk to the elderly. You can learn from their accumulated experience.

16. Do not take everything into account. Do not take everything seriously. You are probably overreacting today. What bothers you or you are afraid of now, most likely tomorrow will seem lukewarm or insipid. Try to see yourself from a distance, take a look at the sight of your flock from the hill.

17. Have patience. The goats do not give birth every month. But when that happens you need to be there because they need you.

18. Quarrel with your partner if necessary, it is not terrible, let the feelings be defused. Make decompression in anger. The fire is sometimes beneficial. If an area of kermes oak get burnt, spring will give again vegetation, fine food for goats and their young. Careful though, the words you say you can’t take them back. Watch what your goats eat, they don’t know how to pick. If they eat the shoots of trees, the forest cannot be created again, the place will be left bare fallow.
  
19. Be balanced. Enjoy the food and your drink. Do not forget that the world’s poor walk miles for their daily food while the rich walk miles to digest it.

20. There is no perfect time, the circumstances and conditions will never be ideal. Start from where you are now! Do not postpone.

21. Be polite. A smiling face reflects similar behavior. Make gifts. Even the gift of a good word is important. Behave well to the elderly, you will soon be like them. Behave well to animals, they are not mean or envious, they have no obsessions or selfishness. They forgive without limit.

22. If you know how to read, read a lot! Those who read live extra lives. Not only their own but also all of those who you have read about.

23. Be bold. The fear keeps you tied but it is not real, it just comes from the unknown which is not in your head.

24. Do not get attached to things. Life is like the path of the pastures and the shepherd’s bag. The more you fill it, the harder you will walk. Take only the necessary things with you. The flock keeps walking, it will not wait for you if you can’t move because of too many heavy things. Let them go, release them, feel more flexible and free.”
Translated by Eleni Vafeiadou

“Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent”

Full screen recommended.
“Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song
Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent”
By Melanie Curtin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. “We Can Fly,” by Rue du Soleil (Café Del Mar)
9. “Canzonetta Sull’aria,” by Mozart
8. “Someone Like You,” by Adele
7. “Pure Shores,” by All Saints
6. “Please Don’t Go,” by Barcelona
5. “Strawberry Swing,” by Coldplay
4. “Watermark,” by Enya
3. “Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix),” by DJ Shah
2. “Electra,” by Airstream
1. “Weightless,” by Marconi Union

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

"How It Really Is"

"In Early 2022, Prices Will Be Going Up 20 To 25 Percent On Thousands Of Different Products"

"In Early 2022, Prices Will Be Going Up 20 To 25 
Percent On Thousands Of Different Products"
by Michael Snyder

"If you think that inflation is bad now, just wait until we get into early next year. As you will see below, some of the biggest corporations in the entire country have just announced major price increases which will take effect during the first few months of 2022. So if there are some things that you want to stock up on, you may want to do it now, because your money won’t stretch as far once we get a few months down the road. I really wish that I had better news for you. I really wish that I could tell you that prices are going to level off and that economic conditions will return to normal soon. Unfortunately, the truth is that it appears that our problems will soon be accelerating.

Earlier today, I was stunned to learn that General Mills has announced that prices on “hundreds of items” will be jacked up dramatically in early 2022. In some cases, prices “will go up by around 20%”… "General Mills (GIS) notified retail customers that it’s raising prices in mid-January on hundreds of items across dozens of brands. They include Annie’s, Progresso, Yoplait, Fruit Roll-Ups, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charm’s, Wheaties, Reese’s Puffs, Trix and more, according to letters General Mills sent to at least one major regional wholesale supplier last week." For some items, prices will go up by around 20% beginning next year. Ouch.

When you go to the grocery store after the holiday season is over, get ready for a case of severe sticker shock. Of course General Mills is not the only large corporation that will be doing this. According to CNN, Tyson Foods, the Kraft Heinz Company, Procter & Gamble, and Kimberly Clark have all announced significant price increases for 2022… "General Mills’ plans are the latest evidence that rising prices won’t be going away anytime soon for some of the most recognizable food and household brands. The company is the latest consumer manufacturer to announce price hikes beginning next year, joining Tyson (TSN), Kraft Heinz (KHC), Mondelez (MDLZ), Procter & Gamble (PG), Kimberly Clark (KMB) and others."

In my entire lifetime, I have never seen anything like this. Right now, a single shopping cart of food can easily run more than 250 dollars at the grocery store. Once these price increases go into effect, will it take 300 or 400 dollars to purchase a typical shopping cart full of food? Just thinking about that gives me the shivers.

Things are going to be changing at your local dollar store too. This week, it was announced that the standard price point at Dollar Tree will be moving to $1.25 “by the end of April”… "After 35 years of selling goods for a buck, Dollar Tree is boosting its standard price point to $1.25 by the end of April, the company said in a statement Tuesday. While the decision is “not a reaction to short-term or transitory market conditions,” Dollar Tree acknowledged the inflationary environment and said the price boost will help mitigate historically high costs, including freight and distribution expenses, as well as wage increases.

“Lifting the one-dollar constraint represents a monumental step for our organization,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Witynski said in the statement. The move will allow Dollar Tree to expand its product assortment and reintroduce some items that were pulled due to the $1 constraint."

It was inevitable that this day would come, but it is still very sad to see it actually happen. When I was growing up, I remember going to the “five and dime”, and in those days you could actually buy things for a nickel or a dime. Many readers may think that a 25 cent increase is not that big of a deal, but for the millions of impoverished Americans that regularly shop at dollar stores that will really add up. Suddenly moving from $1.00 to $1.25 is a 25 percent price increase, and that change will literally apply to thousands upon thousands of different products.

Inflation is rapidly eroding our standard of living, and the American people are not happy about it. In fact, Americans disapprove of the way that Joe Biden is handling this crisis by about a two to one margin… "Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of the inflation crisis (67%), according to the results from the latest CBS-YouGov Poll. There were 33% of Americans that did approve, though, which is just 11 points less than Biden’s presidential approval rating of 44% in the poll."

Biden keeps spouting lots of empty promises that make it sound like he intends to do something to combat rising inflation, but his actions show that he really doesn’t care. He keeps pushing for Congress to pass more absolutely colossal spending bills, and he just nominated Jerome Powell for a second term as the head of the Federal Reserve.

Powell and his cronies pumped trillions upon trillions of fresh dollars into the system in order to prop up the financial markets, but in the process they have unleashed a tsunami of inflation that is unlike anything we have seen since the 1970s.

And this is just the start. As I warned in both "Lost Prophecies" and "7 Year Apocalypse", eventually we are going to be facing inflation that is far, far worse than anything that we experienced back in the 1970s. But Janet Yellen continues to insist that everything will be just fine. According to Yellen, inflation will be subsiding by “the second half of next year”… “I think in the second half of next year, we’ll begin to see inflation subside and the way you’ll be able to see that is by looking at monthly inflation rates,” added Yellen, who addressed the forum virtually."

Even though she has been wrong over and over again, you can keep believing her if you want. And you can keep believing Jerome Powell, Joe Biden, “Dr. Fauci” and all the rest of them if you want. But they aren’t telling you the truth.

These are the days of the great currency meltdown that so many have been warning you about. The dollar is in the process of dying, there are shortages all over the country, our economy is being shaken in hundreds of different ways, and the worst global energy crisis in decades has suddenly erupted. Unfortunately, things are going to get even worse in 2022. So hold on tight, because a really bumpy ride is ahead of us."
Related:

Gregory Mannarino, "Risk In This Market Is Rising RAPIDLY... This Is What You Should Do NOW"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 11/24/21:
"Risk In This Market Is Rising RAPIDLY... 
This Is What You Should Do NOW"
Related:
Charles Hugh Smith:

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

“Can The Average Consumer Survive The Next Great Depression?”

Jeremiah Babe, PM 11/23/21:
“Can The Average Consumer Survive 
The Next Great Depression?”

Peak Prosperity, "On the Brink of Chaos"

 
Full screen recommended,
Peak Prosperity, "On the Brink of Chaos"
"Protests erupted all over Europe and in Australia over the prospect of renewed lockdowns, vaccinating children and other Covid measures. They’re fed up. I am fed up. You are fed up. The main problem? None of the measures have actually worked so far and are an incoherent mess. Instead of rethinking strategies and being more thoughtful in communicating the necessity and goals of the new approaches, many governments have instead become more dictatorial and authoritarian. This is creating even more friction within and among the citizenry.

To avoid being a ‘rat in a cage’ your first step toward freedom rests in understanding who is delivering the shocks and why."

Gerald Celente, Trends Journal; "The Covid War; The Shot Heard Round The World"

Full screen recommended.
Strong language alert!
Gerald Celente, Trends Journal;
"The Covid War; The Shot Heard Round The World"
"Welcome to this week's Trends Journal: What's going on in the world is unprecedented. How can markets keep going up under this kind of pressure? I answer this and much more during this week's new video - leave a comment below."

"Supply Chain Crisis Threatens To Trigger A Flood Of Bankruptcies As Shipping Prices Soar 500 Percent"

Full screen recommended.
"Supply Chain Crisis Threatens To Trigger A Flood Of 
Bankruptcies As Shipping Prices Soar 500 Percent"
by Epic Economist

"The US retail sector is facing a supply chain nightmare before Christmas! A myriad of disruptions is threatening to derail retailers' prospects and push hundreds of thousands of businesses over the edge. The latest data is doing little to calm nerves amongst industry executives. Estimates show that due to worsening port congestion, if goods aren't off a boat by now, it's highly unlikely that they'll make it onto store shelves before the beginning of the holiday season, which may result in significantly lower profits for retailers and small businesses in the most important shopping season of the year.

The complex logistics of unloading the ships and getting their containers onto trucks that will drive them to warehouses and stores across the country means that all of the goods that are still stuck at ports won't make it to store shelves by the end of the year. Therefore, hundreds of thousands of Christmas gifts will arrive too late for the holidays, but that doesn't mean the price of those delayed goods will be any lower when they're finally on the reach of consumers. Prices will continue to rise in the near future. In fact, as of now, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast approaching, 70% of US retailers are warning that there will be fewer deals for shoppers by as much as 75%.

Higher shipping costs are also weighing on that equation. According to a new study released by the UN, soaring shipping prices can hike the prices of consumer goods by over 10% in 2022. Most big US retailers, such as Walmart and Target, are already struggling to ensure inventory amid the growing supply chain chaos. Executives of the industry are extremely nervous about the logistical challenges threatening the very existence of some smaller businesses that just got past the worst effects of the recession. Over the past twelve months, the cost of shipping a container from Asia to the U.S. West Coast climbed over 500%.

Experts specialized in troubled companies are warning that another massive wave of bankruptcies is looming given that financially impaired businesses are likely to experience more hardships than those that have the capacity to hire more warehouse workers, or even charter their own ship, to cope with the turbulence. And as the most important shopping season of the year approaches, this is a make-or-break time for retailers.

This year, the survival of hundreds of thousands more companies is still on the line, according to bankruptcy professionals who have been helping overly indebted businesses to reduce their balance sheet to live to fight another day. In a recent Bloomberg piece, they said that the current supply chain challenges mean that many of these companies will be gone over the next 18 to 24 months.

And, unfortunately, a new analysis published by the spend management specialist, Coupa, is making everyone in the sector even more nervous. The study found that US retailers must brace for revenue losses as high as 20 percent due to worsening supply chain issues. Over the past 18 months, retailers already recorded $68 billion in losses. Now, at least two-thirds, or nearly 63 percent, of retailers are concerned that the current disruptions will hit Christmas revenues and generate more painful losses ahead.

Some of the drop in revenue is happening because inventory remains unavailable, but thousands of products never make it to the stores or warehouses because they get stolen at ports. Delivery delays are actually giving thieves opportunities to steal from containers. "Thieves are targeting electronics and household goods," according to CargoNet, which tracks supply chain thefts.

From January to September this year, roughly $45 million in cargo thefts were reported. In 2020, over $68 million worth of goods were stolen. As winter approaches and surveillance becomes more sparse, CargoNet said it expects theft to remain elevated into the final quarter of this year and into early 2022.

So you should prepare accordingly because the shortages and price increases we've experienced so far are just a hint of the devastating crisis we will be facing this winter. When it comes to 2022, you should prepare for the worst before things spin out of control, especially when considering that our economy and essentially all of our other important systems are falling apart all around us. Things are only going to get harder from this point forward, and our society is about to be crushed by a crisis most people are totally unprepared for."

Musical Interlude: Vangelis, "Come To Me"

Full screen recommended.
Vangelis, "Come To Me"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"Braided and serpentine filaments of glowing gas suggest this nebula's popular name, The Medusa Nebula. Also known as Abell 21, this Medusa is an old planetary nebula some 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. Like its mythological namesake, the nebula is associated with a dramatic transformation. The planetary nebula phase represents a final stage in the evolution of low mass stars like the sun as they transform themselves from red giants to hot white dwarf stars and in the process shrug off their outer layers. Ultraviolet radiation from the hot star powers the nebular glow. 
The Medusa's transforming star is the faint one near the center of the overall bright crescent shape. In this deep telescopic view, fainter filaments clearly extend above and right of the bright crescent region. The Medusa Nebula is estimated to be over 4 light-years across."

The Poet: John O’Donohue, “In These Times”

“In These Times”

“In these times when anger
Is turned into anxiety,
And someone has stolen
The horizons and mountains,
Our small emperors on parade
Never expect our indifference
To disturb their nakedness.
They keep their heads down,
And their eyes gleam with reflection
From aluminum economic ground,
The media wraps everything
In a cellophane of sound,
And the ghost surface of the virtual
Overlays the breathing earth.
The industry of distraction
Makes us forget
That we live in a universe.
We have become converts
To the religion of stress
And its deity of progress;
That we may have courage
To turn aside from it all
And come to kneel down before the poor,
To discover what we must do,
How to turn anxiety
Back into anger,
How to find our way home.”

~ John O’Donohue,
from “To Bless the Space Between Us”
“Do not lose heart. We were made for these times.”
– Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Chet Raymo, “Reaching For The Stars”

“Reaching For The Stars”
by Chet Raymo

“Here is a spectacular detail of the Eagle Nebula, a gassy star-forming region of the Milky Way Galaxy, about 7,000 light-years away. The Eagle lies in the equatorial constellation Serpens. If you went out tonight and looked at this part of the sky – more or less midway between Arcturus and Antares – you might see nothing at all. The brightest star in Serpens is of the third magnitude, perhaps invisible in an urban environment. No part of the Eagle Nebula is available to unaided human vision. How big is the nebula in the sky? Hold a pinhead at arm’s length and it would just about cover the spire. I like to think about things not mentioned in the APOD descriptions.

If the Sun were at the bottom of the spire, Alpha centauri, our nearest stellar neighbor, would be about halfway up the column. Sirius, the brightest star in Earth’s sky, would be near the top. Let’s say you sent out a spacecraft from the bottom of the spire that travelled at the speed of the two Voyager craft that are now traversing the outer reaches of the Solar System. It would take more than 200,000 years to reach the top of the spire.

The Hubble Space Telescope cost a lot of money to build, deploy, and operate. It has done a lot of good science. But perhaps the biggest return on the investment is to turn on ordinary folks like you and me to the scale and complexity of the universe. The human brain evolved, biologically and culturally, in a universe conceived on the human scale. We resided at its center. The stars were just up there on the dome of night. The Sun and Moon attended our desires. “All the world’s a stage,” wrote Shakespeare, and he meant it literally; the cosmos was designed by a benevolent creator as a stage for the human drama. All of that has gone by the board. Now we can travel in our imagination for 200,000 years along a spire of glowing, star-birthing gas that is only the tiniest fragment of a nebula that is only the tiniest fragment of a galaxy that is but one of hundreds of billions of galaxies we can potentially see with our telescopes.

Most of us still live psychologically in the universe of Dante and Shakespeare. The biggest intellectual challenge of our times is how to bring our brains up to speed. How to shake our imaginations out of the slumber of centuries. How to learn to live purposefully in a universe that is apparently indifferent to the human drama. How to stretch the human story to match the light-years.”

"What Keeps You Going..."

“What keeps you going isn’t some fine destination but just the road you’re on, and the fact that you know how to drive. You keep your eyes open, you see this damned-to-hell world you got born into, and you ask yourself, ‘What life can I live that will let me breathe in and out and love somebody or something and not run off screaming into the woods?’”
- Barbara Kingsolver

"The Stock Market Could Drop 50% in Value - We Are Being Played"

Dan, iAllegedly 11/23/21:
"The Stock Market Could Drop 50% in Value - 
We Are Being Played"
"The Stock market is a rocket ship that will never come down. We all know that is total nonsense. The experts are starting to agree that there is impending doom coming to the stock market and people need to be ready."

The Daily "Near You?"

Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"And It May Be..."

“It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, 
with dull ears, with dormant thoughts. Perhaps it’s just as well; 
and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes
 life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.”
– Joseph Conrad, “Lord Jim”

"Squandermania!"

"Squandermania!"
by Bill Bonner

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – "Who are these guys? We’re talking about the “12 Nobel Prize-winners” we mentioned yesterday, who supposedly (according to Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii) believe more government spending will reduce inflation. What’s the theory? How does that work? When, where, how has it worked in the past?

We’ll look at those Nobelistas in a moment. But first, this morning’s big story. The Boston Globe: "Biden crosses liberals to renominate Powell as Fed chairman, keeping a crisis-tested veteran to tackle inflation. Senator Elizabeth Warren and several other high-profile Democrats publicly opposed giving Powell four more years as chairman of the central bank’s board of governors, but President Biden chose to nominate him anyway."

Crisis-tested? The big test came in 2020, when the feds tried to replace real output with fake money. It was a foolish program, now being paid for in higher consumer prices. And Powell was right there, every step of the way. Yes, he was “crisis-tested.” And he failed. So, let’s now turn to the geniuses – the Nobel winners.

Total Failures: The first thing we notice is that it wasn’t just a dozen. There were 17 of them, guided by the lead-dog, Joseph Stiglitz. The September 20 Economic Policy Institute headline reads: "Seventeen winners of the Nobel Prize in economics sign letter in support of the President’s Build Back Better package."

Ok… And here’s Stiglitz explaining why this isn’t going to be like every other federal boondoggle program: "The President’s economic agenda, the “Build Back Better” package being debated in Congress, would provide vital public investments in the nation’s physical and human infrastructure, as well as in our tattered safety net. These investments are long overdue – they were needed before the COVID-19 pandemic, and their necessity has been highlighted by the virus and the economic shock that came with it."

Here at the Diary, we’ve searched in vain for an example of a federal “investment” – in recent history – that has paid off. As near as we can tell, World War II and the interstate highway system were the feds’ last successful programs… And even as to them, we have our doubts.

[Then came the Vietnam War (1955), the War on Poverty (1964), the War on Drugs (1971), Amtrak (1971), the War on Terror (2001), the War on Afghanistan (2001), the War on Iraq (2003)…

We remind readers that U.S. debt increased from $5.6 trillion to nearly $29 trillion between 1999 and 2021. That extra $23 trillion, invested by the federal government, was supposed to make us richer, not poorer. And if those marvelous “investments” – the War on Terror… bailing out Wall Street, etc. – had worked, they would have paid dividends, allowing us to pay down our debt. Instead, the “investments” were total failures… GDP growth rates slowed… and the debt grows bigger and bigger. We also remind readers that when you pay for your “investments” with printing-press money, the most likely consequence is higher prices – which is really just a devious tax on consumers. It takes money from consumers tomorrow so that money can be stuffed down ratholes today.

Silly Argument: So, let’s see what these Nobelistas have to say for themselves. There are two parts to their argument. First, these spending programs will increase output… Stiglitz: "These are importantly supply side measures, increasing the ability of more Americans to participate productively in the economy, helping to improve our low employment-working age population ratio. Significantly reducing the fraction of children growing up in poverty and giving these children access to pre-K and college education will reap large dividends in years to come."

This is such a silly argument that we scarcely deign to reply. There are only so many hours… so much savings… so many workers… so many skills… so many resources available. The question is: Who decides what happens to them? Either people decide for themselves… or the feds make the decisions for them. But there is no evidence, anywhere, anytime, anywhichway that when the feds spend the public’s money, they do so more efficiently or better. To the contrary, every indication – both empirical as well as theoretical – shows us that the feds are terrible asset allocators.

No Inflationary Threat: And won’t this extra spending have to be financed with “printing press money”? And won’t it lead to higher prices… undermining any good that might otherwise come from the spending programs themselves? “No,” says Stiglitz: "We need safe school buildings and bridges, and affordable child and elder care, whether inflation is 2% or 5%. With the investments being financed by tax increases, the inflationary impacts will be at most negligible – over the medium term outweighed by the supply side benefits; and their progressivity will help address one of the country’s critical problems, the growing economic divide."

The federal government spends far more today on schools – including college loans – than it did in the past. But where are all these better-educated, higher-earning, civic-minded taxpayers? They don’t exist. Nor is the “supply” of goods and services increased by taking money from the people who earned it and giving it to other people. Instead, it is diminished and impaired by perverse incentives and government inefficiency, corruption, and waste. Still, Stiglitz pours on the blah, blah. “Investments.” “Social needs.” “Climate crisis.” And all of this can be accomplished “without presenting an inflationary threat.”

No Winner: In what world does this happen? Where can you take money away from people… spend it on your pet projects… and everyone comes out ahead? Where can you “print” money and not cause inflation? How can the feds undertake a $5 trillion Build Back Better project without squandering most of the money? If they get the money from taxing… there is no net gain. Some people win. Most people lose. If they get the money from the “printing press,” the tab is eventually paid by consumers – in the form of higher prices. And either way… real wealth is squandered."

Gregory Mannarino, "AM/PM 11/23/21"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 11/23/21:
"The Game Continues, 
And You Are Being Played Like A Grand Piano"
Gregory Mannarino, PM 11/23/21:
"Is Gregory Mannarino A Time Traveler? Maybe..."

"Since Inflation Is So High Now, The Elite Have Some Suggestions For How You Can Save Money This Thanksgiving"

"Since Inflation Is So High Now, The Elite Have Some 
Suggestions For How You Can Save Money This Thanksgiving"
by Michael Snyder

"Normally, inflation is not a major theme on Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, these are not normal times. Thanks to Joe Biden and our other crooked politicians in Washington, we are facing an inflation crisis that is unlike anything that we have experienced since the 1970s. Earlier this week, I discussed a new poll which showed that 88 percent of Americans are deeply concerned about inflation, and a different poll found that 67 percent of Americans disapprove of the way that Biden is handling rising prices. Now Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and most Americans are finding that their grocery dollars are not stretching as far as they once did.

This is being hailed as “the most expensive Thanksgiving ever”, but don’t worry, because the elite are offering some suggestions for how you can save some money. For example, NBC News is telling us to “consider not buying a turkey” in order to save some cash.
If that wasn’t offensive enough, they are also saying that “some people think turkey is overrated” and that an “Italian feast” might be a better alternative…“I know that is the staple of the Thanksgiving meal. However, some people think turkey is overrated, and so it tends to be the most expensive thing on the table. Maybe you do an Italian feast instead.” I love Italian food, but Americans have eaten turkey on Thanksgiving for generations.

Sadly, many Americans won’t be having turkey this year because it has just gotten too expensive. Of course NBC has an answer for that too. They are suggesting that if you tell those you have invited that there won’t be any turkey on the table “some guests may drop off the list, and that’s a way to cut costs too.” Seriously? That is what they actually think ordinary Americans should do? It just makes me sick how the elite talk down to us like this.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis is being even more offensive. A few days ago, they encouraged Americans to consider a “soybean-based dinner” because turkey is so much more expensive… “A Thanksgiving dinner serving of poultry costs $1.42. A soybean-based dinner serving with the same amount of calories costs 66 cents and provides almost twice as much protein” Yuck. Just yuck.

Over the years, I have tried “alternative” soybean-based products from time to time, and to be frank all of them were disgusting. And I find it to be highly offensive for the people that actually created this inflation crisis to be pushing Americans toward less expensive and more “eco-friendly” alternatives.

We wouldn’t be in this mess if the Federal Reserve had not created trillions upon trillions of dollars out of thin air over the past couple of years. And we wouldn’t be in this mess if NBC News and other media outlets had not endlessly promoted the corrupt politicians in Washington that just keep borrowing and spending money as if the future will never come.

We didn’t get here by accident. What we are now experiencing is a perfect example of cause and effect. Our insane leaders flooded the system with new money, and now a typical Thanksgiving dinner is 14 percent more expensive than it was last year…"The cost of providing a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner to 10 people in 2021 is 14% higher than a year ago, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual survey." Thankfully, your income has gone up 14 percent over the past year as well, right? Sadly, most of you will not be able to answer that question affirmatively.

The cost of turkey is rising at a particularly blazing pace. At this point, the average price of a 16 pound turkey is $4.60 higher than it was at this time in 2020…"Ranking the data this way lets us see that the increase in the cost of turkey is responsible for most of the year-over-year increase. Rising by $4.60 from 2020’s $19.39 to 2021’s $23.99 for a 16-pound bird, turkey alone accounts for nearly 72% of the year-over-year increase in the total cost for the meal."

But at least soybean-based dinners are still affordable. Of maybe you could even eat bugs this year. The global elite would really love that.

In addition to changing the menu, the elite are also giving us pointers for how to minimize the spread of COVID during our Thanksgiving celebrations. According to the New York Times, children should wear masks, eat as quickly as they can, and stay as far away from the adults as possible…"I’m glad to hear that the children and all guests are vaccinated. As the kids will not be fully vaccinated until two weeks after their second shot, I think some care is warranted, especially because some attendees are 65 and older and thus at greater risk of more serious breakthrough infections. You could have the kids wear masks, eat quickly and stay away from the older adults when eating."

So I guess that hugging grandma and grandpa is out of the question. These control freaks really do want to micromanage all of our lives, and those that obediently do whatever they say without thinking are part of the problem. The truth is that the vast majority of the “experts” that they put on television to tell us how to live our lives really aren’t “experts” at all. It is all a big con game, and it amazes me that there are still so many people out there that fall for it.

Once you get a look behind the curtain and you realize what a giant fraud their entire system is, there is no going back. Unfortunately, much of the population is still under their spell, and so we need to work really hard to wake people up while there is still time to do so.

Look, I really do hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Eat lots of turkey, enjoy your family and friends, and try to smile. We should find joy in these moments while we still can, because soon everything will change."

Monday, November 22, 2021

"How It Really Is"

 

“Financial Reckoning; Wall St Buying Up Homes; Wages Falling Fast; Economy On Borrowed Time”

Jeremiah Babe, PM 11/22/21:
“Financial Reckoning; Wall St Buying Up Homes; 
Wages Falling Fast; Economy On Borrowed Time”

"Jan. 4: Expect an Economic Train Wreck"

"Jan. 4: Expect an Economic Train Wreck"
by Jim Rickards

"Today, President Biden renominated Jerome Powell to a second term as Federal Reserve Chairman. Progressives in his party wanted Biden to nominate someone more to their liking, such as Lael Brainard, the only Democrat on the Fed's Board of Governors. But it really doesn’t matter, unless you somehow manage to resurrect Paul Volcker. And his options would be far more limited today than they were in 1981 when he raised interest rates to 20%.

With today’s crushing debt levels, raising rates to any significant extent would collapse the entire system. No Fed head could afford to do it, even if he or she wanted. Whoever heads the Fed, it’s proven time and time again that it has no idea what it’s doing. There’s absolutely no reason to expect anything different from Powell the second time around. He’s a one-trick pony, and that trick is old. And the Fed has no answers for the most urgent problem facing the economy right now: supply chain shortages.

Plenty of Blame to Go Around: By now, you’re well aware of the supply-chain fiasco unfolding across the country. Of course, it’s not just an American phenomenon; the supply-chain crisis is global. But, as the world’s largest economy driven 70% by consumption, it’s fair to say America is ground zero in this struggle.

The effects are not limited to the paper goods aisle at Costco as they were during the pandemic. The effects are everywhere. There are bare spots on shelves in every aisle of the supermarket. Liquor stores can’t get certain kinds of wine. Garages can’t get auto parts. Doctors can’t get certain medical devices. Anyone not done with her Christmas shopping should prepare for disappointment. Santa won’t be coming to a lot of homes this season. Everyone is blaming everyone else.

Ships that can’t unload at ports blame the truckers who are supposed to remove the containers already ashore. Truckers blame state regulators who make them wait in line for days to pick up containers only to tell them to come back tomorrow. Retailers blame distributors. Customers blame retailers.

The problem is they’re all right. The supply-chain breakdown is not at one single bottleneck. It’s up and down the supply chain at all levels from component suppliers to manufacturers to transportation providers to customers. What is the Biden administration doing about this?

Making a Bad Situation Worse: They’re busy making things worse. First, the Biden administration ordered the Port of Los Angeles to stay open 24-hours per day and work three shifts to ease the backlog. The problem is that working longer was never the problem. The port can’t unload the vessels because there’s no place to put anything. The piers and storage yards are full. Containers are stacked to the sky. Working longer hours does nothing when there’s no place to put the cargo. The next Biden move was even dumber.

They proposed a penalty on containers that remain on the docks for more than six days. But, no one wants the containers moved faster than the shippers. It’s just a physical impossibility when they can’t get the trucks to the ports. The penalty does not speed up the transportation process, but it does increase the cost of goods, which makes inflation worse and could drive some retailers out of business. The supply-chain crisis is real. The Biden administration is incompetent. That’s a bad combination for the economy. Compounding the problem is a labor shortage, which is going to get much worse in January.

The Straw to Break the Camel’s Back: There’s already a labor shortage in America. The causes are complicated. In reality, there’s no literal shortage of potential workers, but many workers prefer to stay home because of some combination of government benefits, child-care responsibilities or inadequate pay offered by employers (who can’t afford to pay more themselves because they’ll go out of business).

A lot of this centers on lower-wage jobs such as waiters, store clerks, fast-food staff and office assistants. But, there will be a labor shortage coming soon in more high-skilled areas such as engineers, pilots, machinists and medical personnel.

This shortage will not be due to low pay but to vaccine mandates. Joe Biden ordered that all federal contractors had to be fully vaccinated. (That’s in addition to federal workers and the military who already have no choice). This mandate is different from the OSHA vaccine mandate that applies to all employers with 100 or more employees. The OSHA mandate has been stopped by the courts while the federal contractor mandate goes into full force and effect on Jan. 4 (pushed back from the original Dec. 8). The vaccinated rate among federal contractors is actually lower than the country as a whole.

The national vaccination rate is approaching 70%, while the federal contractor rate is closer to 60% and even lower in some specialties such as avionics. These workers know the vaccine is available, understand the risks (both ways because of side effects) and have chosen not to be vaccinated. It’s almost impossible to change their minds at this point.

Expect a Train Wreck on Jan. 4: But the Biden administration is not backing off the mandate, despite the fact that the vaccines don’t stop you from getting the virus or from spreading it to others. Its effects also wear off after a few months, which is why they’re pushing the booster shots so aggressively. And if you think you’re fully vaccinated after getting both jabs, you might want to think again. Dr. Fauci is warning that we may have to change the definition of “fully vaccinated” to include getting the booster. Well, what about when the booster wears off? Are you going to need booster shots every few months to be considered fully vaccinated or else lose your job and your ability to lead a normal life?

The Federal contractor workforce is huge; it’s in the millions. So, expect an economic train wreck on Jan. 4. Workers from Boeing to Textron and hundreds of thousands of other firms will be fired or quit that day. The economy is already weak. The supply chain is already busted. This mass termination of skilled contractors could put the economy into a recession. It’s a good time to lighten your equity exposure. As usual, the stock market will be the last to see this coming."

"Welcome To The 'New Normal': This Is Going To Be A Holiday Season That None Of Us Will Ever Forget"

Full screen recommended.
"Welcome To The 'New Normal': This Is Going To Be 
A Holiday Season That None Of Us Will Ever Forget"
by Epic Economist

"Americans are facing a nightmare that seems to have no end. Every time people think conditions are starting to improve, something happens and we get back to square one. At the beginning of this year, the federal government assured the population that the economy would be booming by the end of 2021, but that turned out to be a big fat lie. Instead, what we have is the worst inflation since the 1970s, the most epic supply chain crisis in the history of the United States, and nationwide supply shortages that are threatening to undermine our traditions this holiday season.

In fact, this is going to be the "new normal" holiday season, and you have to set your expectations very low, otherwise, you'll probably get bitterly disappointed. The upcoming holidays will not be like what most people have grown accustomed to, but our leaders and the corporate elites are still trying to make things sound better than they actually are. The corporate media is already encouraging us to look "on the bright side," because as opposed to last year, in 2021, we won't have to "cancel Thanksgiving," even though shortages continue to plague most of our stores and supermarkets.

The truth is that the shortages we experienced last year have only gotten worse and more widespread this year, despite the fact that every government "expert" said in 2020 that this crisis would be long gone by now. A recent survey exposes that product availability for this year's Thanksgiving is far lower than during the same period last year. According to Krishnakumar Davey, president of IRI's strategic analytics practice, the survey used point-of-sales data and e-commerce transactions to track weekly store stock rates. It highlighted that retailers typically have a roughly 95% in-stock rate overall. But this year, stores aren't anywhere close to that.

For those who still remember the "good old days", an era of abundance and fair, affordable prices, these holiday shortages will be exceedingly painful. We might not see such days again for decades to come. To make things worse, there's also a shortage of Christmas trees. Recent reports revealed that the U.S. is now facing a significant shortage of both real and fake Christmas trees, and anyone planning on purchasing a tree this year, should act fast before they run out. Of course, a Christmas tree shortage is not the end of the world.

We can definitely survive without most of these items. However, if anything, these extensive shortages and price hikes highlight our leaders' utter incompetence to ease the impacts of the crisis we faced throughout the year, including disasters sparked by extreme weather and the supply chain crisis that has been affecting every aspect of our society, even our traditions. At this stage, even Goldman Sachs is publicly acknowledging that the inflation crisis is going to be further aggravated in the coming months. We're in the middle of one of the most devastating inflation crises this country has ever had, and our society is becoming increasingly restless.

Our population is just now realizing that inflation will stay at record-highs for much longer than what our politicians and policymakers have promised. In short, with living expenses relentlessly going up, Americans are losing their trust in the federal government. Inflation is downgrading our living standards at the same time it boosts price growth like never before. We definitely have a lot of bad news out there. But it could be much worse. One "positive" thing that happened recently was the official suspension of the implementation and enforcement of the OSHA vaccine mandate. However, as litigation proceeds, the verdict could still change in the future. At least for now, millions of jobs have been saved, and the U.S. economy has avoided an absolutely crushing blow.

That's probably the first smart choice our leaders have made in a very long time. Of course, it's in their best interest to keep people in their jobs during the most important season of the year. They don't want to be seen as the ones who "ruined" the holidays for us. But we all know that we're here because of them, and much of this chaos could have been prevented if they have acted intelligently a long time ago. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, because it doesn't mean that this is all over. They lied to us before, and they are probably lying to us right now. The truth is that this is going to be a painful holiday season none of us will ever forget.

Musical Interlude: Procol Harum, "A Whiter Shade of Pale"

Full screen recommended.
Procol Harum, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" 
Procol Harum performing "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
 with the Danish National Concert Orchestra and choir at
 Ledreborg Castle, Denmark in August 2006.