The Poet: Mark Strand, "Dreams"

"Dreams"

"Trying to recall the plot

And characters we dreamed,

     What life was like

Before the morning came,

We are seldom satisfied,

     And even then

There is no way of knowing

If what we know is true.

     Something nameless

Hums us into sleep,

Withdraws, and leaves us in

     A place that seems

Always vaguely familiar.

Perhaps it is because

     We take the props

And fixtures of our days

With us into the dark,

     Assuring ourselves

We are still alive. And yet

Nothing here is certain;

     Landscapes merge

With one another, houses

Are never where they should be,

     Doors and windows

Sometimes open out

To other doors and windows,

     Even the person

Who seems most like ourselves

Cannot be counted on,

     For there have been

Too many times when he,

Like everything else, has done

     The unexpected.

And as the night wears on,

The dim allegory of ourselves

     Unfolds, and we

Feel dreamed by someone else,

A sleeping counterpart,

     Who gathers in

The darkness of his person

Shades of the real world.

     Nothing is clear;

We are not ever sure

If the life we live there

     Belongs to us.

Each night it is the same;

Just when we’re on the verge

     Of catching on,

A sense of our remoteness

Closes in, and the world

     So lately seen

Gradually fades from sight.

We wake to find the sleeper

     Is ourselves

And the dreamt-of is someone who did

Something we can’t quite put

     Our finger on,

But which involved a life

We are always, we feel,

     About to discover."

- Mark Strand 

"You Must Not Be Frightened..."

"How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that needs our help. So you must not be frightened if a sadness rises up before you larger than any you have ever seen; if a restiveness, like light and cloud shadows, passes over your hands and over all you do. You must think that something is happening with you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand; it will not let you fall."

- Rainer Maria Rilke

Free Download: Jiddu Krishnamurti, “The Book of Life”

"You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it.

That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies,

that is why you must sing and dance,

and write poems and suffer and understand, for all that is life."

- Jiddu Krishnamurti

Freely download “The Book of Life”, by Jiddu Krishnamurti:

- https://selfdefinition.org/krishnamurti/

"Listen..."

“95 Questions to Help You Find Meaning and Happiness”

“95 Questions to Help You Find Meaning and Happiness”

by Marc

“At the cusp of a new day, week, month or year, most of us take a little time to reflect on our lives by looking back over the past and ahead into the future. We ponder the successes, failures and standout events that are slowly scripting our life’s story. This process of self-reflection helps us maintain a conscious awareness of where we’ve been and where we intend to go. It is pertinent to the organization and preservation of our long-term goals and happiness. The questions below will help you with this process, because when it comes to finding meaning in life, asking the right questions is the answer.

1. In one sentence, who are you?

2. Why do you matter?

3. What is your life motto?

4. What’s something you have that everyone wants?

5. What is missing in your life?

6. What’s been on your mind most lately?

7. Happiness is a ________?

8. What stands between you and happiness?

9. What do you need most right now?

10. What does the child inside you long for?

11. What is one thing right now that you are totally sure of?

12. What’s been bothering you lately?

13. What are you scared of?

14. What has fear of failure stopped you from doing?

15. What will you never give up on?

16. What do you want to remember forever?

17. What makes you feel secure?

18. Which activities make you lose track of time?

19. What’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever made?

20. What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?

21. What are you most grateful for?

22. What is worth the pain?

23. In order of importance, how would you rank: happiness, money, love, health, fame?

24. What is something you’ve always wanted, but don’t yet have?

25. What was the most defining moment in your life during this past year?

26. What’s the number one change you need to make in your life in the next twelve months?

27. What’s the number one thing you want to achieve in the next five years?

28. What is the biggest motivator in your life right now?

29. What will you never do?

30. What’s something you said you’d never do, but have since done?

31. What’s something new you recently learned about yourself?

32. What do you sometimes pretend to understand that you really do not?

33. In one sentence, what do you wish for your future self?

34. What worries you most about the future?

35. When you look into the past, what do you miss most?

36. What’s something from the past that you don’t miss at all?

37. What recently reminded you of how fast time flies?

38. What is the biggest challenge you face right now?

39. In one word, how would you describe your personality?

40. What never fails to frustrate you?

41. What are you known for by your friends and family?

42. What’s something most people don’t know about you?

43. What’s a common misconception people have about you?

44. What’s something a lot of people do that you disagree with?

45. What’s a belief you hold with which many people disagree?

46. What’s something that’s harder for you than it is for most people?

47. What are the top three qualities you look for in a friend?

48. If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?

49. When you think of ‘home,’ what, specifically, do you think of?

50. What’s the most valuable thing you own?

51. If you had to move 3000 miles away, what would you miss most?

52. What would make you smile right now?

53. What do you do when nothing else seems to make you happy?

54. What do you wish did not exist in your life?

55. What should you avoid to improve your life?

56. What is something you would hate to go without for a day?

57. What’s the biggest lie you once believed was true?

58. What’s something bad that happened to you that made you stronger?

59. What’s something nobody could ever steal from you?

60. What’s something you disliked when you were younger that you truly enjoy today?

61. What are you glad you quit?

62. What do you need to spend more time doing?

63. What are you naturally good at?

64. What have you been counting or keeping track of recently?

65. What has the little voice inside your head been saying lately?

66. What’s something you should always be careful with?

67. What should always be taken seriously?

68. What should never be taken seriously?

69. What are three things you can’t get enough of?

70. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

71. What fascinates you?

72. What’s the difference between being alive and truly living?

73. What’s something you would do every day if you could?

74. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

75. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

76. What makes you feel incomplete?

77. When did you experience a major turning point in your life?

78. What or who do you wish you lived closer to?

79. If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large group of people, what would your message be?

80. What’s something you know you can count on?

81. What makes you feel comfortable?

82. What’s something about you that has never changed?

83. What will be different about your life in exactly one year?

84. What mistakes do you make over and over again?

85. What do you have a hard time saying “no” to?

86. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

87. What’s something that used to scare you, but no longer does?

88. What promise to yourself do you still need to fulfill?

89. What do you appreciate most about your current situation?

90. What’s something simple that makes you smile?

91. So far, what has been the primary focus of your life?

92. How do you know when it’s time to move on?

93. What’s something you wish you could do one more time?

94. When you’re 90-years-old, what will matter to you the most?

95. What would you regret not fully doing, being, or having in your life?”

From the wonderful "Marc and Angel Hack Life" blog:

- http://www.marcandangel.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Thanks for stopping by!

"Walking By Abandoned Stores Today, Proof Recession Has Begun; People Look Scared; Prepare Now"

Full screen recommended.

Jeremiah Babe 7/7/22:

"Walking By Abandoned Stores Today, Proof 

Recession Has Begun; People Look Scared; Prepare Now"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Retail Is Dead in 2022 - No More Merchandise Returns"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly 7/7/22:

"Retail Is Dead in 2022 - 

No More Merchandise Returns"

"Retail sales are absolutely destroyed right now. Inflation has destroyed so many stores. Now we’re hearing from large retailers that they don’t want merchandise returned to the stores. When will the insanity end?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"The Monstrous Thing..."

"The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should want roses. For some reason or other man looks for the miracle, and to accomplish it he will wade through blood. He will debauch himself with ideas, he will reduce himself to a shadow if for only one second of his life he can close his eyes to the hideousness of reality. Everything is endured - disgrace, humiliation, poverty, war, crime, ennui - in the belief that overnight something will occur, a miracle, which will render life tolerable. And all the while a meter is running inside and there is no hand that can reach in there and shut it off."

- Henry Miller, “Tropic of Cancer”

Bill Bonner, "Forbidden Fruit and a Pension Problem"

"Forbidden Fruit and a Pension Problem"

A look at the 'original sin' behind today's stock prices, 

and where we're headed next.

by Bill Bonner

Baltimore, Maryland - "Our hoary president was in the news yesterday. CBSNews: "Biden promotes plan to protect millions of workers' pensions."

"WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday traveled to Ohio to highlight his administration’s work to prevent cuts to millions of workers’ pensions as his approval rating continues to sag ahead of the midterm elections. Biden’s visit was tied to the launch of a program launch of a program created under the American Rescue Plan that provides assistance to struggling multi-company pension plans, ensuring that as many as 3 million workers and retirees will receive their full benefits."

This morning, the Wall Street Journal adds that pension funds will be able to use up to a third of the $90 billion in free money to gamble in the stock market. Republicans allegedly maligned these pension bailouts as ‘rat holes.’ Of course, they were right. But the rats vote, and Joe will take votes from wherever he can get them.

And here’s an earlier WSJ note showing us what a big hole the rats dug for themselves. In Pasadena, California…"The local police and fire pension plan has been closed for nearly 50 years. Pension recipients have dwindled to fewer than 180. But the city still owes about $135 million in bond debt on the plan. Payments on it are expected to be about $6 million in 2022. Local governments made pension commitments that they couldn’t afford. Employees must have known it. So did fund managers. But such was the connivance between them that neither wanted to ask questions. They hoped for the best… and waited for the bailout."

Our pen pal, MN Gordon, adds this: "According to a Municipal Market Analytics analysis of Bloomberg data, more than 100 city, county, state, and other governments borrowed for their pension funds last year. This is twice the highest number that did so in any prior year."

Standing behind these pension funds are state and local taxpayers – that’s you, acting as the ATM. Moreover, when the investment returns of public pension funds fall short, governments are primarily responsible for filling the void. This means cutting other spending and services or increasing taxes. Behind the local pensions stand the local governments. And behind the local governments stand the state governments. And behind them all stands the US federal government. And the US government is us.

So, where do the citizens of Dubuque get the money to pay the pensions of garbage collectors in Baton Rouge? The question is rarely asked, because the money was… until recently… almost free and unlimited. Governments could borrow… and then rollover their debt at an even lower rate.

But now, bonds are falling, consumer prices are rising, and the question marks are coming out. And we have an answer that will delight the wokesters. They won’t have to worry about defunding the police… or the trash collectors. All current services will be defunded in order to fund past ones. And by the way, that is the way of all debt. The money must be taken from the future to make good on yesterday’s promises. Or, the promises must be broken.

We will not dwell on the coming disaster in the pension world. It is the debt disaster in the larger world that interests us. So far…

We have the worst inflation in 41 years.

The worst stock market in 52 years.

The worst bond market in 224 years.

The worst consumer sentiment… and the worst performance for a balanced 60-40 portfolio… since record keeping began.

So what gives? We’re glad you asked. And hope you don’t expect a short answer. A full accounting of ‘what is going on’ would take more time and space than we have available. You can go as deep as you care to – all the way to the Big Bang, if you want. After all, had not Adam gotten together with Eve, there would be no Jerome Powell today. And had not the naked lady eaten the forbidden fruit – thus bringing evil into the world – there would be no US Federal Reserve.

But we will spare you the Original Sin interpretation and just give you the Dummies Guide version. And in the spirit of ‘diversity, access and inclusion,’ we will begin at the ‘functioning moron’ level and head down on the freight elevator from there. Here at Bonner Private Research, we usually stop at the ‘smoked-too-much-weed-in-college’ explanation; it’s about all we can handle. Exceptionally, we will keep going down… examining the sedimentary layers as we go… and let you decide where to get off.

What’s going on? The simplest answer is: it’s a stock market selloff. Stocks go up. Then they go down. They went up, with brief interruptions, for 39 years… from August 1982 to November 2021. Since then, the Dow has lost about 5,000 points. If recent history is anything to go on, it will lose another 7,000 points before it hits bottom.

We doubt that recent history will do us much good, however. Something very important has changed. Inflation; we haven’t seen so much of it since Rod Stewart was singing, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy.” So, we will go down another level and take a look. Bonds go up and down too – typically in very long cycles. The 10-year T-bond yield, the basic brick of the entire capital structure, hit a low in August 2020. Before that, the previous low came around the time we were born – in the late 1940s. Bottom to bottom took more than seven decades.

So, it’s a big deal when these things turn around. And that’s what appears to be happening now. After 42 years of rising prices, bonds just suffered their worst loss since George Washington was President. But what does that mean? Why is it so important? Tomorrow, we head down further…closer to bedrock…to see if we can figure it out."

- bonnerprivateresearch@substack.com

"How It Really Is"

 

Gregory Mannarino, "A Global Economic Depression - You Are In One"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 7/7/22:

"A Global Economic Depression - You Are In One"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

○

Related:

"David Stockman on Why the Great Reckoning Has Begun"

"The Future – Post 2032 – A New Beginning?"

"The Future – Post 2032 – A New Beginning?"

by Martin Armstrong

"QUESTION: "Will you explain what Socrates foresees for after 2032 at this year’s WEC in November? I’m more concerned about my grandkids. A lot of people seem to be plagiarizing you these days. But all they have to offer is an opinion and we all have opinions. Socrates has been the only thing that has ever been consistently correct." - TH

ANSWER: I have warned that the Economic Confidence Model and how markets even trade themselves is always fractal. We are completing the end of the BIG ONE. I think a lot of people are starting to see this too. The End of the World is by no means the END. It is just the point in history where it all begins again. We can see that Biden is probably the instrument of death, or should I say those who write his executive orders and cheat sheets. They are obsessed with climate change and are deliberately trying to destroy our capacity to produce and use fossil fuels.

The hatred and division in our society is just insane. We have celebrities canceling the 4th of July over abortion. The very law that the Supreme Court ruled on limited abortion to 15 weeks. They seem to think they have the right to kill a child up to birth. Bette Midler started a controversy on Twitter by posting: “They don’t call us ‘women’ anymore; they call us ‘birthing people’ or ‘menstruators,’ and even ‘people with vaginas!’ Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you.” The world has gone insane, and all these labels only divide society, creating one group against another. This is the total destruction of society and these people are so stupid, that they cannot see what they are doing because of their own deranged views.

There is an ebb and flow to civilization. We all come together because it benefits all of us, and then it falls apart when one group begins to exploit another. This is the basic rhythm of civilization. As taxes are low and the economy booms in the city, the youth are attracted to the city and leave their parents on the farms or suburbs and head off to make their fortune in the world. Rome became the largest city in history, reaching a population in excess of 1 million by its peak in 180 AD. It had crossed that 1 million mark in 133 AD during the reign of Hadrian (117-138AD).

With the death of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD) in 180 AD, the decline and fall began just 51.6 years after it exceeded one million people. The crazy emperor Commodus (177-192 AD) followed his father. Like the Democrats today who attack anyone who supported Trump and are still running against Trump in 2022, Commodus did the same, and anyone who had supported his father he attacked. Today, Liz Cheney, who is as evil as her father in my opinion, is today’s Commodus. She is the destroyer of civilization, for her personal hatred of Trump is dividing the nation and will ensure that people like her will end the United States as we have known it. Cheney will unleash civil war if she really thinks that she can prevent Trump from running imprisoning over 300 people already for entering the Capitol on January 6. Not even their hated Putin even did that to protesters. This will lead to civil war.

Edward Gibbon wrote in his “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” about the son of Marcus Aurelius and how he set in motion the collapse of Rome. He wrote of Commodus (177-192AD): “Distinction of every kind soon became criminal. The possession of wealth stimulated the diligence of the informers; rigid virtue implied a tacit censure of the irregularities of Commodus; important services implied a dangerous superiority of merit; and the friendship of the father always insured the aversion of the son. Suspicion was equivalent to proof; trial to condemnation. The execution of a considerable senator was attended with the death of all who might lament or revenge his fate; and when Commodus had once tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse.” (Book 1, Chapter 4).

We see the same hatred spewing from Cheney’s mouth and with the Democrats. Nobody seems to understand what makes civilization work. They are dividing civilization for personal hatred and gain and in the process fulfilling the cycle that will end civilization as we know it.

Rome was the largest city in ancient times. It eventually collapsed to a population of just 15,000 during the middle ages. The city of London, England, was the first city to reach a population again of one million and it took nearly 6 waves of 309.6 years. London reached the 1 million mark in 1810 during the reign of George III (1760-1820) and in comparison, New York City finally reached that level in 1875 thanks to all the people fleeing Europe. We once again are approaching the peak in civilization and what will come after 2032 will be once more the disintegration of civilization.

Rome fell and broke up into small enclaves that ushered in the feudal system. People became serfs for the common protection of a landlord and his castle. We still retain the word “landlord” to this very day. We will see a new world where countries will no longer exist as we know them and they will all divide and separate into localized jurisdictions lacking the strength of central power.

There will be battles over separation. About 86 years from the peak of Rome, it was divided into three segments. Then there were battles to reunite the empire. Then Constantine divided the empire by moving the capital to Constantinople, which is today Istanbul. Even when Russia fell, it divided into regions along the lines of the original countries that were conquered as was the case following the fall of Rome.

Globalization will come to an end and we’re already witnessing this with the Biden sanctions on Russia that have caused inflation and divided the world economy in two. We will witness a return to make the manufacture of various goods locally for each division as well as growing their own food. Energy may revert back to wood and oil for there will be no major power grids as they become localized.

Our population models suggest up to a 50% reduction perhaps as soon as 2040. The population is already shrinking and aging in all the major industrialized nations. Just as in ancient Rome, the first Emperor Augustus issued Family Laws because as an economy expands, the birthrate declines. We see many young girls professing they do not want children. This too is part of the cycle, but they will die alone for children historically were the foundation of civilization as they were charged with taking care of their parents in their final years. This is what socialism has done — destroyed the family unit. Children no longer save to take care of their parents. That’s the government’s job. And when the parents die, the state demands inheritance taxes.

I often am asked, how can we prevent the trend. Unfortunately, we cannot. It is far greater than anyone can correct. People like Jessica Chastain are all about them. Without children, her luxurious lifestyle will crumble and she will face the stark reality of how civilization has survived with children taking care of their parents. Even in China, the one-child rule significantly altered its future. While that has now been repealed, the damage long-term is profound.

This will be a NEW BEGINNING for civilization. We will get to rewrite the form of government of the future. This will be a 309.6-year Private Wave, which will be volatile, but our current form of Republics that pretend they are democracies are coming to an end. These are the most corrupt forms of government known in history. They will no longer exist. We will see an admixture of dictatorships/monarchies and democracies."

- https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/

"Sticker Shock At Kroger! Prices Are Getting Ridiculous!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures with Danno, 7/7/22:

"Sticker Shock At Kroger! Prices Are Getting Ridiculous!"

"In today's vlog we are at Kroger, and are noticing massive price increases! We are in complete sticker shock as we are seeing skyrocketing prices, and a lot of empty shelves! It's getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Get Ready For A Stock Market Crash That Will Make You Panic As Massive Sell-Off Accelerates"

Full screen recommended.

"Get Ready For A Stock Market Crash That Will

 Make You Panic As Massive Sell-Off Accelerates"

by Epic Economist

"The stock market crash we’ve been warned about has already begun and now we’re officially in a bear market. Trillions of dollars have been wiped out at this point, and investors are still on edge with the highest interest rate hikes in 28 years, soaring inflation, ongoing tensions throughout Europe, and a historically tight housing market all weighting on the outlook of financial markets as we enter the second half of 2022. Everyone seems to be reasonably concerned. The unanimous feeling right now is that this meltdown is set to get a whole lot worse in the coming months, and in today’s video, we compiled the insights of some of the brightest minds on Wall Street – and they’re telling us to prepare for an impending disaster!

Any time a bear market is announced, investors think this is as bad as it’s going to get, and many assume the worst is probably over. That might have been the case in some of the previous downturns, but not this time, experts say. With the selloff coming in waves, and growing uncertainty about the future of the economy spreading across all sectors of the market, many investors are struggling to predict where stock prices are headed next. Consequently, that translates to a volatile market situation that will last for a while with more Fed meetings scheduled this year, meaning that despite any eventual rebounds, more losses are coming.

Regardless of how much volatility the market has faced so far this year, we should brace for even more drastic shifts as consumer spending starts to change, and the overall set of factors is completely unique when compared to anything that’s come before.

Even though the S&P 500 already plunged over 21% in the first six months of the year, marking its worst first half since 1970, Goldman estimated the index could hit 3,600 as the recession begins – a view also shared by the Scion Asset Management founder Michael J. Burry, who recently noted that the S&P 500 rebounded too quickly and disproportionately from the health-crisis-induced crash in 2020, compared to other market crashes. As such, the expert predicts a drop of more than 50% for the next few months.

By now, even the most notable optimists on Wall Street are starting to sound like “doom and gloomers”. In fact, one of the most well-known bullish personalities on the market, the founder and CEO of Ark Innovation, Cathie Wood is worried about the economic recession we’re entering right now. “We think we are in a recession. We think a big problem out there is inventories. the increase of which I’ve never seen this large in my career. I’ve been around for 45 years. We were wrong on one thing and that was inflation being as sustained as it has been,” Wood said.

By now, estimates suggest that roughly 20 trillion dollars have already been wiped out from the market so far this year. And as the sell-off accelerates, we will continue to get more bad news with each passing day. Now that there’s nothing supporting the speculative bubble that led stock valuations to skyrocket over the past couple of years, and an economic downturn is picking up speed, there is no hope that things will turn around any time soon.

It’s safe to say that the reckless optimists on Wall Street didn’t see this coming in advance. Things have changed very abruptly. In this case, many investors that didn’t get out in time are now feeling an extraordinary amount of pain. But a lot more pain is coming for Wall Street and the economy as a whole. Now it’s time to get ready for the bumpy ride ahead."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com/

Adrian Lester, "Hamlet", "To be or not to be..."

Full screen recommended.

Adrian Lester, "Hamlet", "To be or not to be..."

"Adrian Lester speaks "Hamlet’s" soliloquy from act III, scene 1, in which the prince reflects on mortality and considers taking his own life. To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, we asked leading actors to perform key speeches from his plays."

"Ex Obscurum"

Full screen recommended.

"Ex Obscurum"

by Spadecaller

"From emotional turmoil, hatred, and addiction the miracle of recovery begins in this Spadecaller Video entitled "Ex Obscurum" ("From Darkness"). Featuring original poetry narrated by the author and visual artist, Matthew Schwartz. Composer Samuel Barber's powerful musical score, adapted for the movie "Platoon", (Adagio for Strings, Op. 11) sets the background for this spiritual exodus "From Darkness."

Musical Interlude: Gnomusy (David Caballero), "Footprints On The Sea"

Gnomusy (David Caballero), "Footprints On The Sea"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"What strange world is this? Earth. In the foreground of the featured image are the Pinnacles, unusual rock spires in Nambung National Park in Western Australia. Made of ancient sea shells (limestone), how these human-sized picturesque spires formed remains unknown. In the background, just past the end of the central Pinnacle, is a bright crescent Moon. The eerie glow around the Moon is mostly zodiacal light, sunlight reflected by dust grains orbiting between the planets in the Solar System.

Arching across the top is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Many famous stars and nebulas are also visible in the background night sky. The featured 29-panel panorama was taken and composed in 2015 September after detailed planning that involved the Moon, the rock spires, and their corresponding shadows. Even so, the strong zodiacal light was a pleasant surprise."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201011.html

"Today Is The Day..."

"We are fast moving into something, we are fast flung into something like asteroids cast into space by the death of a planet, we the people of earth are cast into space like burning asteroids and if we wish not to disintegrate into nothingness we must begin to now hold onto only the things that matter while letting go of all that doesn't. For when all of our dust and ice deteriorates into the cosmos we will be left only with ourselves and nothing else. So if you want to be there in the end, today is the day to start holding onto your children, holding onto your loved ones; onto those who share your soul. Harbor and anchor into your heart justice, truth, courage, bravery, belief, a firm vision, a steadfast and sound mind. Be the person of meaningful and valuable thoughts. Don't look to the left, don't look to the right; we simply don't have the time. Never be afraid of fear."

- C. JoyBell C.

"Slightly Up From Slavery"

"Slightly Up From Slavery"

by Doug Casey

"To eliminate misunderstanding as to what taxes are, it is helpful to define the word "theft." One good definition is "the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another." The definition does not go on to say, "unless you're the government." There is no difference, in principle, between the State taking property and a street gang doing so, except that the State's theft is "legal" and its agents are immune from prosecution. Many people do not accept that analogy, because the government is widely viewed as being of, for, and by the people, even though it's also acknowledged as acting badly from time to time.

Suppose a mugger demanded your wallet, perhaps because he needed money to buy a new car and threatened you with violence if you weren't forthcoming. Everyone would call that a criminal act. Suppose, however, the mugger said he wanted the money to buy himself food. Would it still be theft? Suppose now that he said he wanted your wallet to feed another hungry person, not himself. Would it still be theft?

Now let's suppose that this mugger convinces most of his friends that it's okay for him to relieve you of your wallet. Would it still be theft? What if he convinces a majority of citizens? Principles stand on their own. Even if a criminal act is committed for a good purpose, or with the complicity of bystanders, (even if those people call themselves the government), it is still an act of criminal aggression.

It is important to establish an ethical viewpoint on the matter, even if it doesn't change your reaction to the mugger's (or the State's) demands. Just as it's usually unwise to resist a mugger, it's usually unwise to resist the government, which has a lot of force on its side. That's not to say it's easy to swim against the tide. Every year at tax time promoters of big government haul out an assortment of nostrums to sedate the lambs as they are shorn. One of the worst is "Taxes are the price we pay for civilization," a statement of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. It is a splendid example of how, if a lie is big enough and is repeated often enough, it can come to be accepted.

Actually, the truth is almost exactly the opposite. As Mark Skousen, economist and author, has pointed out: "Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state is a complete failure of civilization, while a totally voluntary society is its ultimate success."

Taxes are destroyers of civilization and society. They impoverish the average man. They support welfare programs that anchor the lower classes at the bottom of society. They underwrite a gigantic bureaucracy that serves only to raise costs and quash incentive. They pay for public works programs (once called "pork barrel projects," but now rechristened "infrastructure investment") that are usually ten times more costly than their privately financed counterparts, whether needed or not. They maintain programs that cause huge distortions in the economy (such as deposit insurance for banks). And they foster a climate of fear and dishonesty. The list of evils goes on. But the simple truth is that anything needed or wanted by society would be provided by profit-seeking entrepreneurs, if only the tax collector would retire.

Protesting against taxes because they're a costly or inefficient way of providing services, however, is in good measure futile. It's like saying that the mugger shouldn't rob you because there might be a better way for him to get what he wants.

How serious is the tax problem in the long run? I believe it will become less, not more serious, despite the government's increasingly high tax rates and draconian enforcement measures. The major long-term trend of society is toward decentralization and smaller-scale organizations. The US government will prove no more able to deal with a rapidly evolving economy than was the Soviet government. More and more Americans will see the government as meaningless and irrelevant, as serving no useful purpose."

- internationalman.com

"The Auto Industry is in Huge Trouble - The Worst Sales in Over 25 Years"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly 7/6/22:

"The Auto Industry is in Huge Trouble - 

The Worst Sales in Over 25 Years"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Lots Of Empty New Homes For Sale As Homebuyers Disappear; Economic Breaking Point; Cashless Society"

Full screen recommended.

Jeremiah Babe, 7/6/22:

"Lots Of Empty New Homes For Sale As Homebuyers Disappear;

 Economic Breaking Point; Cashless Society"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

○

Related:

"Buyers Are Gone. Sellers Are Desperate. 

This Is What Start to a Housing Crash Looks Like"

Gregory Mannarino, "ALERT! Watch For Another Uncontrolled Selloff In The Debt Market, And What Will Happen"

Gregory Mannarino, PM 7/6/22:

"ALERT! Watch For Another Uncontrolled Selloff

 In The Debt Market, And What Will Happen"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jndeglFlFY

"Western Europe On Suicide Watch As Food, Energy Collapse Looks Even Worse" (Excerpt)

"Western Europe On Suicide Watch As Food,

 Energy Collapse Looks Even Worse"

by Mike Adams

Excerpt: "Western Europe is on suicide watch as virtue signaling nations tore down their fossil fuel infrastructure (and nuclear power plants) to appease the "greenies." Now, countries like Germany, France and the UK are facing an energy catastrophe as Russia steadily reduces natural gas outflows from pipelines like Nord Stream 1, which is also scheduled to be taken offline in just five days for "routine maintenance."

Many European nations are worried that Nord Stream won't be turned back on, believing Russia will find an excuse to keep the pipeline offline for an extended period of time. This would be catastrophic for nations like Germany, which depend heavily on Russian gas to generate electricity and power domestic industry. From our story today: "This step is a complete disaster for the European Union. It is basically signing a death warrant for all European economies."

See the full story here:

- https://www.naturalnews.com/

Get more details on all this and much more 

in today’s Situation Update podcast:

- Brighteon.com/

"5 Major Trends To Watch For During The Second Half Of 2022"

"5 Major Trends To Watch For During The Second Half Of 2022"

by Michael Snyder

"Can you believe that it is the second half of 2022 already? I don’t know about you, but to me it seems like time goes by faster with each passing year. Perhaps that is just because I am getting older. In any event, the first six months of 2022 are already in the tank. During those six months, the largest land war in Europe since World War II has erupted, inflation has spiraled out of control all over the world, we have plunged into the worst energy crisis since the 1970s, a horrifying bird flu pandemic has killed tens of millions of turkeys and chickens in the U.S. alone, the worst monkeypox outbreak in history has begun, the S&P 500 had the worst start to a year since 1970, and global leaders have been relentlessly warning us that we are heading into an “unprecedented” planetary food crisis. Unfortunately, I expect the second half of 2022 to be even worse.

Recently, I have been finding myself using the word “accelerate” a lot in my discussions with other people. Global events have certainly accelerated during the first half of this year, and I am convinced that they will accelerate even more during the second half. In particular, I believe that things will really start getting crazy once summer is over. Let me give you a few areas that I will be focusing on in the months ahead. The following are 5 trends to watch for during the second half of 2022…

#1 Economic Shaking: Obviously things have not gone well economically during the first half of this year. Inflation is raging all over the globe, and economic activity is slowing down everywhere that you look. Based on the latest reading from the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model, it appears that the U.S. economy has already plunged into a recession. I expect the U.S. economy to continue to deteriorate as we move toward the end of 2022, but I am actually far more concerned about economic conditions in Europe.

The war in Ukraine has hit European economies really hard, and now many of them are potentially facing very serious shortages of natural gas this winter. The EUR/USD is rapidly approaching parity, and this is something that I have been anticipating for years. Once the EUR/USD drops below parity, I think that the dominoes in Europe are going to start falling fairly rapidly.

Meanwhile, I expect inflation rates to remain elevated all over the planet, and this is going to continue to cause tremendous problems.

#2 Widespread Famines: The head of the UN has publicly warned us that we are moving into an “unprecedented global hunger crisis”, and people are already starting to drop dead from starvation in some parts of eastern Africa. Sadly, I believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Even before the war in Ukraine started, we were already headed into a major food crisis thanks to the soaring price of fertilizer and extremely bizarre global weather patterns. Now the war in Ukraine has reduced the flow of agricultural exports from one of the key breadbaskets in the world to just a trickle. At the same time, food production is going to come in well below expectations all over the planet due to a variety of factors that I have been documenting on my websites.

Food prices have already risen very aggressively, but the biggest problem will be the food that is not grown in the months ahead. There simply is not going to be enough food for everyone, and that is going to cause enormous societal stress all over the globe in late 2022 and beyond. (And if you think it won't happen here you're a total fool... - CP)

#3 More War: The conflict in Ukraine has become extremely bitter and extremely bloody. Unfortunately, it appears that it is not going to end any time soon. I would love to see a peaceful resolution to the war, because I think that is what would be best for everyone. But the president of Ukraine does not want to negotiate even though his government is losing more territory with each passing day.

So this horrible war will just keep going month after month, and the U.S. just keeps getting more deeply involved. Needless to say, at some point this proxy war between the U.S. and Russia could evolve into a shooting war between our two nations, and that is a scenario that we should be working very hard to avoid.

On the other side of the globe, I believe that China is planning on invading Taiwan while Joe Biden is still in office. They have seen how powerless he has been to stop the Russians, and I think that they are convinced that they have a window of opportunity to “reunify” with Taiwan by force.

But I actually think that another major war will start first. The IAEA is now telling us that Iran “possesses enough fissile material to construct a nuclear bomb”, and that is a threshold that Israel always said that they would never allow the Iranians to cross. Israel and Iran are already engaged in a “shadow war”, but I am entirely convinced that it will soon escalate into a full-blown regional conflict. It may begin in a way that you might not expect, but one way or another it is going to happen. Hopefully it will not erupt during the second half of this year, but the clock is definitely ticking.

#4 Pestilences: We already have COVID. In fact, they are now telling us that the worst version of the disease that we have seen so far is now circulating widely in the United States. We are also dealing with a nightmarish bird flu pandemic which has killed tens of millions of our chickens and our turkeys. On top of everything else, the number of monkeypox cases continues to rise at an exponential rate. But I believe that more outbreaks are on the way. We have entered an era when mad scientists all over the globe are monkeying around with the deadliest bugs that mankind has ever known. And as time moves along, I believe that bad actors will increasingly use diseases that have been cooked up in labs as weapons.

#5 Geophysical Shaking: Let’s just call this one a hunch. Unlike the first four areas that I have discussed, geophysical events have not made a lot of headlines lately. Yes, there have been unusual earthquakes in diverse places such as South Carolina, and the sun has been behaving strangely in recent days, but overall things have been relatively quiet. Unfortunately, I expect that to change. If you disagree with me, that is perfectly fine. Let’s just watch and see how things play out.

Two years ago I tried to give everyone a big picture overview of what was coming, and since that time so many of the things that I listed have either happened or have started to happen. We really have entered a “perfect storm”, and those that are still waiting for life to go back to “normal” are going to be bitterly disappointed. If you always thought that it would be wonderful to live during one of the most important times in human history, you are about to get your wish. What was once unthinkable will soon become reality, and nothing will ever be the same again."

- http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. Thanks for stopping by!

"Ah, You Miserable Creatures!"

"Ah, You Miserable Creatures!"

"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! 

You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! 

Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough." 

- Frederic Bastiat

How much more evidence do you need to 

realize we as a society have lost our collective minds?

“Too Much Rain Will Kill Ya”

“Too Much Rain Will Kill Ya”

by Bruce Krasting

"My first week on Wall Street was in August of 1973. I was newbie to NYC. My office was on the south side of 100 Wall, on the second floor, looking out over Front Street. There was a tremendous thunderstorm one afternoon. I looked out the window as the street filled with water. The flood poured into a street gutter and overwhelmed it. With the gutter flooded, the rats were drowning. They came out of every hole. In twenty minutes, 500 came out of the one gutter I was watching. The rain stopped and the flooding abated. The rats on the street followed the receding water back into their holes. A memorable first impression of life in the financial district."

- http://www.zerohedge.com/

○

And now, as it all comes crashing down...

"The Duty..."

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you

damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty,

the duty to take the consequences."

- P. J. O'Rourke