"The Whole Chessboard Is About To Be Radically Changed"

"The Whole Chessboard Is About To Be Radically Changed"

by Pepe Escobar

"There’s no question that future unbiased historians will rank Russian President Vladimir Putin's address on the Return of the Baby Bears – Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia – on September 30 as a landmark inflection point of the Raging Twenties. The underlying honesty and clarity mirror his speech at the 2007 Munich Security Conference, but this time largely transcending the trappings of the geopolitical New Great Game.

This was an address to the collective Global South. In a key passage, Putin remarked how “the world has entered a period of revolutionary transformations, which are fundamental in nature. New development centers are being formed, they represent the majority.”

As he made the direct connection between multipolarity and strengthening of sovereignty, he took it all the way to the emergence of a new anti-colonial movement, a turbocharged version of the Non-Aligned Movement of the 1960s: “We have many like-minded people all over the world, including in Europe and the United States, and we feel and see their support. A liberating, anti-colonial movement against unipolar hegemony is already developing in various countries and societies. Its subjectivity will only grow. It is this force that will determine the future geopolitical reality.”

Yet the speech’s closure was all about transcendence - in a spiritual tone. The last full paragraph starts with "Behind these words stands a glorious spiritual choice". Post-post-modernism starts with this speech. It must be read with utmost care so its myriad implications may be grasped. And that’s exactly what tawdry Western spin and a basket of demeaning adjectives will never allow.

The speech is a concise road map to how we got to this incandescent historical crossroads – where, to venture beyond Gramsci, the old order refuses to acknowledge its death while the new one is inexorably being born. There’s no turning back. The key consequence of a largely documented fact – “a hybrid war is being waged against Russia because it stands in the way of the neocolonial world order” – is that Russia is getting ready for an all-out collision with the Empire of Lies. Alongside top Eurasian powers China and Iran. Imperial vassals in this case are at best collateral damage. Moreover, it’s quite telling that Putin’s speech followed India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, stressing the "pillaging of India by the colonial power" at the UN General Assembly.

Putin’s speech and Russia’s resolve to fight the – hybrid and otherwise - war against the collective West set up the Macro Picture. The Micro Picture regards the see-saw in the battlefields in Ukraine, and even the blow-up of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines: a desperate gambit, a few days before the result of the referendums and their official recognition on September 30.

Where’s Osama when we need him? As working hypotheses swirl on how the deed was done, a few things are quite clear. Russia had absolutely no motive to destroy billions of dollars of Gazprom’s energy infrastructure: they could always use it as leverage; and they could just turn it off – as they did, because of the sanctions dementia - and re-route the gas to Asian customers.

A White House “led” by a senile teleprompter reader, mired in a black politico-economic void, was most certainly clueless. The prime suspect is a rogue National Security/State Department faction – part of what is known in the Beltway as The Blob. Call them Straussians or neo-con fanatics, these are the players who are conducting a US foreign “policy” whose central premise is the destruction of Russia – with the European “allies” as collateral damage.

An inevitable – certainly unforeseen - consequence is that in this new twist in the War of Economic Corridors, all bets are off: no pipeline or undersea cable, anywhere in the world, is now safe and may become fair game in retaliation.

So the blow-up of the twin pipes - NS and NS2 – is 9/11 remixed Pipeline Terror. With no Islamist with a Kalashnikov hiding in an Afghan cave to take the fall. Financial losses will involve quite a few weighty players. The shareholders of Nord Stream AG are Gazprom (51%); Wintershall Dea AG (15.5%); PEG Infrastruktur AG, a subsidiary of E.ON Beteiligungen (15.5%); N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie (9%) and Engie (9%). So this is an attack not only against Russia and Germany but also against major European energy companies.

NS2 is an engineering marvel: over 200,000 pipe segments coated with 6” of concrete, each weighing 22 tons, laid out on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. And just when it seemed that all was lost, well, not really. The engineering marvel theme resurfaced: the pipes are so strong they were not broken, but merely punctured. Gazprom revealed there’s an intact string of NS2 that may “potentially” be used. The bottom line is that reconstruction is possible, as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak stressed: “There are technical possibilities to restore the infrastructure, it requires time and appropriate funds. I am sure that appropriate opportunities will be found.” But first, Russia wants to conclusively identify the perpetrators.

Henry Kissinger, sore loser: US establishment oracle cum notorious war criminal, Henry Kissinger, could not get rid of his trademark Return of the Living Dead act, saying Russia has “already lost the war” because its capacity to threaten Europe with conventional attacks, which it had enjoyed for decades or even centuries, “has now been demonstrably overcome.”

Moscow was not “threatening” Europe with anything conventional or otherwise; it was trying to do business, and the Americans blocked it with a vengeance, even resorting to Pipeline Terror. This American tactical victory was achieved in only seven months, and cost next to nothing. The results may seem impressive: US hegemony over the whole EU spectrum is now undisputed, as Russia lost its economic leverage. But that will only deepen Moscow’s resolve –as stressed by Putin’s speech – to take the fight against the Empire and its vassals to the limit.

On the Ukraine battlefields, that means forcing them to the negotiating table on Russia’s terms. And then force them to agree to a new European “indivisibility of security” arrangement. And to think that all that could have been accomplished with a simple phone call in late 2021, when Moscow sent letters to Washington proposing a serious discussion.

In fact, it’s the US that has “already lost the war”: at least 87% of the world – including virtually the whole Global South – has already concluded this is a rogue, rudderless empire. “Losing”, Kissinger-style, also means that in only 7 months, Russia annexed 120,000 km2 - or 22% of Ukrainian territory - that produces nearly 90% of GDP and has over 5 million citizens. Along the way, the allied forces basically destroyed the Ukrainian army, which they continue to do 24/7; billions of dollars of NATO equipment; accelerated the demise of most Western economies; and evaporated the notion of American hegemony.

As for Stupidistan Unplugged, the Oscar goes to Secretary Blinken, who gave away the game by saying the blow-up of the twin pipelines was a "tremendous strategic opportunity". Just like 9/11 was a "tremendous strategic opportunity" for indiscriminate invasion, bombing, killing, plunder across the lands of Islam.

Shock'n Awe is back: The EU is on the way to surefire Trade Devastation.From now on, any possibility of energy trade with Russia would have to be a consequence of the collapse of both NATO and the EU. That may happen, but it will take time. So what next? The EU cannot rely on Asia: far away and impossibly expensive in terms of LNG liquefaction and re-gasification costs. Any pipeline – for instance, from Kazakhstan - would be crossing Russia or coming from China via Russia. Forget about Turkmenistan; it already ships its gas to China.

The EU cannot rely on West Asia. Turk Stream is fully booked. The whole production of the Persian Gulf is already bought. If – and that’s a major “if” – there was more gas available, it would be a small amount from Azerbaijan (and Russia might disrupt it). Iran remains sanctioned by the Empire – a fabulous own goal. Iraq and Syria are still plundered by the US.

That leaves Africa – where, as it stands, France is being unceremoniously kicked out, nation after nation. Italy may eventually pipe gas to German industry from Algeria, Libya and the Cyprus-Israel fields. There will be an absolutely mad scramble for Saharan gas fields and gas in central Africa – from Uganda to South Sudan.

The Baltic may be a NATO lake, but Russia could easily decide to make waves, for instance transporting LNG in barges to German ports via Kaliningrad – which is ice-free during winter. If Lithuania would try to block it, Mr. Khinzal could settle the issue by presenting his business card. Russia could also use the Gulf of Finland, not a problem for those massive Russian icebreakers.

This means Russia could easily destroy the competition - as in absurdly expensive LNG coming from the US. After all, St. Petersburg to Hamburg is only about 800 nautical miles; and from Kaliningrad, only 400 nautical miles. The whole chessboard is about to be radically changed before the arrival of General Winter. 9/11 led to the bombing, invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Pipeline 9/11 is leading to a Shock’n Awe on NATO – to take place in Ukraine. Blowback is back – with a vengeance."

- https://www.zerohedge.com/

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Related:

"The Great Game In Ukraine Is Spinning Out Of Control"

"Shopping At Kroger! Stock Up Now! Get It Before It's Gone!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures with Danno, 10/6/22:

"Shopping At Kroger! 

Stock Up Now! Get It Before It's Gone!"

"In today's vlog we are at Kroger, and are noticing massive price increases! We are here to check out 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/

"How It Really Is"

 

"The Moral Hazard Society"

"The Moral Hazard Society"

by The ZMan

"For the last couple of weeks, there have been whispers that some large banks may be in trouble due to the rising dollar. The strength of the dollar is due, in part, to the Federal Reserve’s effort to fight inflation. It is also due to the decline in both the Euro and the British pound. Economic conditions in Europe are deteriorating quickly because of poor management at every level. The relative strength of a currency is the relative strength of the managerial elite that issues it.

Recently, the gossip has turned to Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, both of which have seen their share prices collapse. The former has lost about 60% since the start of the year and the latter is down around 50% off its recent high. Credit Suisse could be at risk of imminent collapse, due to its deteriorating credit condition. Banks need credit to function and right now, no one is excited about extending credit to a bank whose CEO is telling employees that the bank is not about to fail.

Some are calling the Credit Suisse crisis the Lehman moment. This refers to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, which triggered the financial crisis. Banks are dependent upon one another, so if one fails, it can set off a chain reaction where the next weak bank fails, then the next weakest bank. Get enough banks unable to make payments to other banks and the whole system crashes. This is why everyone is worried about the banks all of a sudden.

It is also why the market boomed on Monday. The stock market is wholly dependent on central bank policy now. Loose policy means lots of money creation in the banking system, which means lots of money flowing into markets. Tight central bank policy means the money gets fussy about where it flows. It can even sit on the sidelines and wait until things appear more stable. The robots are betting that Jerome Powell blinks and ends his tightening to save the banks.

This is similar to what recently happened with the Bank of England. All of a sudden, there was no market for the long dated British bonds. This is why the British pound declined in value. This in turn created a crisis for British pension funds, as their collateral started to evaporate. The BoE had to step in and buy long dated bonds to guarantee their price and save the pension funds. As a result, the gilt and pound have stabilized over the last few days.

The weirdness of this age is right there in that action by the BoE. On the one hand, they are trying to fight inflation by reducing the money supply. They do this by raising interest rates, which reduces bank activity. This slows the creation of money, thus reducing the supply of money relative to demand. As relative demand increases, the relative value increases, which is what brings down inflation. In reality, it means a recession, which does the hard work of cratering demand.

Where we are now with the BoE, and probably the Federal Reserve, is that the bank is trying to reduce the amount of money in the system relative to demand. At the same time, they are trying to increase the money in the banking system in order to prevent the banks from running out of cash. Put another way, we may be in a situation where central banks are injecting and withdrawing money at the same time, which is one of those things that is supposed to be impossible.

The current crisis is due to the choices facing central banks. They can provide liquidity to the system or they can fight inflation. If they raise rates to fight inflation, major players who got sloppy with interest rate swaps, for example, are suddenly facing an extinction event, which threatens the whole system. On the other hand, if they protect the system by leaving rates alone, they face the political fury of governments contending with double digit inflation and energy shortages.

There is a bigger issue. The energy problems, the supply chain disruptions, inflation and the fragile credit markets are due to political incompetnace. Over the last three years, Western governments, led by Washington, have found every bad decision possible and then made it with furious enthusiasm. People cannot be blamed for thinking it is deliberate, because that is the best answer. The odds of rulers being this dumb this often strikes most people as impossible.

This is a time when Occam’s razor does not apply. They are this dumb. Liz Truss came to power promising to give rich people free money to boost the economy. This was a moronic plan that nearly blew up the economy in her first weeks. Truss is a simpleton who has no business in politics, so she thought it was a grand idea. She is in office because her predecessor was a bloated party boy who saw Churchill whenever he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

Go back through British PM’s and it is one buffoon after another. This mirrors what has been happening in America. Joe Biden is in the late stages of dementia and he will be on the ticket for 2024. His predecessor was a carny act. The guy before that was a formless nobody who was willing to act the role created for him. The guy before that was a simpleton controlled by his father’s friends. You can do this in every Western country going back decades. They are as dumb as they act.

The crisis of competence in the managerial elite is not the root cause. The real first mover is the moral hazard economy. Going back to the 1970’s, the Western political system has come to rely on a handful of clever bankers to save the political class from their own idiocy. Starting with Paul Volcker, central banks have been the mother hen of political economy, always right there to kiss the boo-boo of the politicians or the pirates in the financial system when they stepped on a rake.

This safety net under the political economy of the West has warped the selection pressure on the people in the system. In a world of no real risk, feckless airheads like Liz Truss can rise to the top on promises to the powerful. After all, if she breaks something, nothing really bad can happen. The result of this risk-free political environment is that it rewards reckless behavior. The bigger the claim, the bigger the media splash, which means bigger political clout.

The same selection pressure can be seen in banking. In a world where bankers go to jail and lose all of their money if they screw up, there is a low tolerance for people who are reckless and foolish. In a world where the Fed steps in to not only save your bank but save your golden parachute and those of your colleagues, why would you not take the most dangerous risks? For over thirty years central banks have created a moral hazard, which in turn created a culture of reckless disregard.

It is this sense that no harm can ever come from error that is leading the West into a crisis from which it may not survive. It is this mentality that is leading to the game of chicken with nuclear weapons. The West is now led by a collection of mentally unfit bullies who think they own the school yard. At some point, like all bullies, they will get punched in the nose and see their own blood. In this case, it is reality that will do the punching and the bankers will not be their to kiss the boo-boo.

This raises the serious question. Bullies learn their lesson in the schoolyard because that lesson is not lethal. In the present age, how can the ruling class suddenly feel the pain of their own stupidity, without blowing up the world? How can real risk be reintroduced to change the selection pressure without risking collapse? The moral hazard society may have reached a point where there is no solution. The phrase that may be needed here is creative destruction.

- https://thezman.com/

"The Trick"

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable,

or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.

- Carlos Castaneda

"A Tiger By The Tail"

"If he hollers, let ‘em go."

"A Tiger By The Tail"

by Addison Wiggin

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”

- Children’s rhyme

“If the current level of output and employment is made to depend on inflation,” wrote the economist Friederick von Hayek, “a slowing-down in the pace of inflation will produce recessionary symptoms.” “Moreover,” Hayek continues, “As the economy becomes adjusted to a particular rate of inflation, the rate must itself be continuously increased if symptoms of a depression are to be avoided: to inflate is to have ‘a tiger by the tail’.”

Hayek was writing in the 1930s while the world faced a Great Depression, widespread deflation of asset prices. For years following the Panic of 2008, the Fed under the spell of chairpersons Bernanke and Yellen vowed not to allow a Great Depression redux. Low to negative rates were perceived to be, and accepted as, necessary to keep the economy from falling into an extended period of low growth and declining prices for goods and services.

Each of the Fed’s governors in their own way favored the beast they knew – inflation – over the beast they didn’t. We remember writing during Bernanke’s sentence as Fed chair that no one alive had faced a deflation of the magnitude last seen some 80 years before. Bernanke himself had only written a thesis on what mistakes the Fed made following the stock market bust in 1929.

Eeny meeny miny moe! “Inflation it will be!” the Fed sang in unison during the Panic of 2008. And carried that tune for a decade. Then, President Trump asked Jay Powell to become Fed chair. When he accepted he could not have known he was grabbing the tiger’s tail with both fists. What a cat it has turned out to be. Since the government lockdowns of the economy, the treasury and Fed have combined to dump over $11 trillion of dollars into the economy.

Powell’s recent comments suggest the Fed will not back down from their commitment to continue raising rates to tame the beast. What’s concerning us is the absolute disconnect between Fed policy, the markets and what Nomi Prins refers to as the “real economy”. (You can watch the full Session with Nomi by clicking here.) Hayek made the same observation some 90 years ago:

We are doing nothing less than this if we try to establish direct causal connections between the total quantity of money, the general level of all prices and, perhaps, also the total amount of production. For none of these magnitudes as such ever exerts an influence on the decisions of individuals; yet it is on the assumption of a knowledge of the decisions of individuals that the main propositions of non-monetary economic theory are based.

That’s a wonky way of saying, “for all the statements the Fed and Treasury make, there’s a giant disconnect between theory and the prices people pay for food and energy.” It’s also a way of saying when you have to make a choice between food and heat, you don’t give a rat’s patooty about the models economists-in-residence are following. The disconnect is created mainly by a fundamental misunderstanding in the way we actually track what happens in the economy.

When Powell raises rates in hopes of squashing consumer demand to attack the “general level of all prices,” the effect is what Christopher Leonard would call a “nuking of the economy.” If Powell styles himself a born-again Volcker, he who last had his grips on the tiger’s tail, “growth recession” and stagflation are still part of the plan. Even the “buy-the-dip” crowd are steering clear of this mess.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. If we spoke Austrian, we’d probably hear those words from Hayek’s mouth, too, albeit more guttural.

So it goes,"

P.S. The price of gas is one major data point facing consumers in the “Real Economy.” Recently, they’ve backed off enough where we’ve even said to ourselves; “Oh look, gas is only $3.78 a gallon. Yes!”

Jim Rickards offers an explanation for the recent drop: "Joe Biden is draining the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to keep prices down ahead of the midterm elections. But the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was never intended to be a price control mechanism. It was intended as a reserve for Americans in the face of a true national emergency such as war, natural disaster or infrastructure collapse.

The last release of reserves is scheduled for late October, which, incidentally, is just before the November 8 elections. What’s worse is that the reserve will have to be refilled at much higher prices. A lot of the oil in the reserve was purchased when oil was about $40. Today, oil is $85 and may be over $100 when Biden starts replenishing the reserve. Unfortunately, we’re witnessing a political scam and a threat to national security. But it’s all about the midterms.”

- https://5minforecast.com/wiggin-sessions/

Must View! "Nuclear Winter Nightmare; Doomsday"

Full screen recommended.

"Nuclear Winter Nightmare; Doomsday"

by History

"World War 3 breaks out and a nuclear nightmare becomes reality as thousands of hydrogen bombs destroy the world's greatest cities. A deadly fallout of ash and debris creates a Nuclear Winter."

Comments here:

• https://www.youtube.com/

○

Related:

• Moscow Says We’re Heading Toward Open War"

• Germany and EU Have Been Handed Over a Declaration of War"

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Even we as a species couldn't be that stupid, could we? Really?

What do you think?

Must View! Canadian Prepper, "'Putin Retreats to Bunker'; Nuclear Events and Collapse Imminent?"

Canadian Prepper, 10/5/22:

"'Putin Retreats to Bunker'; 

Nuclear Events and Collapse Imminent?"

"I'm selling everything. It's about to hit the fan."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"15 Retailers That Face Bankruptcy As Deep Dark Winter Ahead"

Full screen recommended.

"15 Retailers That Face Bankruptcy 

As Deep Dark Winter Ahead"

by Epic Economist

"Things just seem to keep getting worse for America's troubled retailers. One in ten retail companies is at risk of closure this winter as we enter another economic downturn and consumers roll back their spending on non-essential goods. New data shows that the number of businesses at potential risk of defaulting their debts, going bankrupt, or closing shop for good continues to grow. In fact, earlier this year, Toys 'R' Us CEO warned that a flood of bankruptcies would hit the retail sector during 2022's final quarter as the compounding effects of inflation, supply chain shortages, transportation disruptions, and tighter credit conditions kept on weighing on the balance sheets of distressed companies. “We are in the worst supply chain crisis that any of us can remember and there is no sign of the problems easing before the end of the year. For retailers, the problems could be particularly severe as they prepare for autumn and peak trading in the months building up to the holiday season,” added Brightpearl CEO Derek O’Carroll. “We are still in the relatively early stages of this crisis with the impact of global events just starting to really hit home.”

For example, Tuesday Morning is amongst the long list of retailers that already filed for bankruptcy and are now at risk of going entirely out of business. A dramatic revenue decline in 2020, led the retailer to run out of cash and seek protection as its debt burden increased by $10 million. In the company’s most recent period, it reported a 7% drop in sales, and it projected an adjusted loss of up to $29 million for its current fiscal year. S&P Global Market Intelligence has listed Tuesday Morning as one of the most vulnerable retail companies right now. This holiday season is going to be a make-or-break moment for the already bankrupt retailer that closed 200 stores since January 2021. But if projections turn out to be right, this means the near-term future of the company is going to be extremely gloomy.

Similarly, the Digital Brands Group is warning that it could go bankrupt by year’s end due to a shortage of liquidity. 2022 was a year of extensive losses for the developer. In February, it was sued by creditors over late payments. One of them demanded the retailer put its expansion plans on hold until it was paid for goods shipped years ago, in 2019 and 2020. In the second quarter, the company’s operating loss was at $10.7 million. It also owes $6 million to a secured lender, which matures in December, and creditors are on the edge of their seats right now due to the high risk of default. Spending in the luxury sector has been on a steady decline, and with inflation still biting, the landscape doesn’t look good for the group.

In a new report on vulnerable retailers, Creditntell cited “bloated” inventory levels as a major pressure on margins and profits. The imbalance led major companies, including Walmart and Target, to cancel billions in orders recently. “Potentially the biggest stumbling block will be the consumer,” Albert Furst, chief operating officer of Creditntell, highlighted in a recent interview. With store closures still mounting while foot traffic declines, a financial disaster is looming for U.S. retailers in the near term. And in today's video, we listed some of America's most iconic brands that are in danger during the make-or-break holiday season. If you're a loyal customer of one of these brands, maybe you should visit their stores while you still can, because soon, they may disappear forever."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Extreme Economic Pain Is Coming; Sell Your House Now And Get Out; A Flat Tire Away From Big Trouble"

Jeremiah Babe, 10/5/22:

"Extreme Economic Pain Is Coming; Sell Your House 

Now And Get Out; A Flat Tire Away From Big Trouble"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

○

Related:

"The Fed’s Housing Bubble 2.0 Is Toast. 

Time’s Almost Up… BANKS In Deep Trouble!"

Gregory Mannarino, "Mummies And Ghouls! This Really Is A Freak Show"

Gregory Mannarino, PM 10/5/22:

"Mummies And Ghouls! This Really Is A Freak Show;

 Economy Continues To Crater"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: Juzzie Smith, "Bluesberry Jam"

Juzzie Smith, "Bluesberry Jam"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“The constellation of Orion holds much more than three stars in a row. A deep exposure shows everything from dark nebula to star clusters, all embedded in an extended patch of gaseous wisps in the greater Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. The brightest three stars on the far left are indeed the famous three stars that make up the belt of Orion. Just below Alnitak, the lowest of the three belt stars, is the Flame Nebula, glowing with excited hydrogen gas and immersed in filaments of dark brown dust.

Below the frame center and just to the right of Alnitak lies the Horsehead Nebula, a dark indentation of dense dust that has perhaps the most recognized nebular shapes on the sky. On the upper right lies M42, the Orion Nebula, an energetic caldron of tumultuous gas, visible to the unaided eye, that is giving birth to a new open cluster of stars. Immediately to the left of M42 is a prominent bluish reflection nebula sometimes called the Running Man that houses many bright blue stars. The above image, a digitally stitched composite taken over several nights, covers an area with objects that are roughly 1,500 light years away and spans about 75 light years.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120212.html

"A Great Kindness..."

“So don’t ask yourself what people want. Ask instead, What is true? What really inspires me, excites me? What will really help people and take away their confusion and suffering? It’s sort of a funny, crazy way to go, but I think it’s the only way to bring water to the wasteland Joseph Campbell described. When I read something truthful, something real, I breathe a deep sigh and say, “Fantastic – I wasn’t mad or alone in thinking that, after all!” So often we are left to our own devices, struggling in the dark with this external and internal propaganda system. At that point, for someone to tell us the truth is a gift. In a world where people all around us are lying and confusing us, to be honest is a great kindness.”

- David Edwards

Chet Raymo, “Half Sick Of Shadows”

“Half Sick Of Shadows”

by Chet Raymo

“Who is this woman? Her name is on the prow of her boat: The Lady of Shalott.  Yes, it’s Tennyson’s “Lady of Shalott,” from the poem of 1842, here illustrated by John William Waterhouse in 1888. By some unspecified curse this lovely maiden was confined to a tower…

“Willows whiten, aspens quiver,

Little breezes dusk and shiver

Through the wave that runs for ever

By the island in the river”

near Camelot, where, forbidden to look out the window, she observed the world in a mirror and wove what she saw into a tapestry. So what is she doing in the boat, with her hand-stitched creation? One day, Sir Lancelot rode by her tower alone. She saw him in the mirror and – “half sick of shadows” – couldn’t resist turning to see him unreflected.

“His broad clear brow in sunlight glow’d;

On burnish’d hooves his war-horse trode;

From underneath his helmet flow’d

His coal-black curls as on he rode…”

The mirror cracked. She left her loom, descended from the tower, found a boat, inscribed her name on the prow, and…

“Lying, robed in snowy white

That loosely flew to left and right -

The leaves upon her falling light -

Thro’ the noises of the night”

cast off to drift downstream to Camelot – and to Lancelot. But curses are not to be foiled.

“For ere she reach’d upon the tide

The first house by the water-side,

Singing in her song she died,

The Lady of Shalott.”

We are all of us in a way the Lady of Shalott, all of us who seek to create an image of the world, artists, poets, scientists. We perceive the world through the filter of our limited senses, our biologically evolved brains, our nurtured preconceptions. We weave our tapestries, knowing that our creations are a reflection removed from reality. Our “curse” is to be in love with the real, yet never able to embrace it except in the cold glass of conceptualization. Our legacy? To be found in a boat lodged among the reeds, our tapestry draped across the thwart, with Camelot yet somewhere further down the stream, glistening, beckoning, inescapably out of reach. But, ah, there’s that gorgeous tapestry.

There is another curse, self made, and that is to mistake the mirrorworld for the world outside the window, to fail to recognize the contingency of our conceptualizations, to forego an honest seeking for the falsely found, and – most ominously – to want to impose our own mirrorworld on others.”

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

"If We Have No Idea..."

“If we have no idea what we believe in, we’ll go along with anything. Truth takes courage. Courage to stand up for what we believe in. Not necessarily in a confrontational way, but in a gentle yet firm way. Like an oak tree, able to sway gently in the wind, but strongly rooted to the ground.”

- A.C. Ping

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

“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.

Full screen highly recommended.

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

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

9. “Canzonetta Sull’aria” by Mozart

8. “Someone Like You” by Adele

7. “Pure Shores” by All Saints

6. “Please Don’t Go” by Barcelona

5. “Strawberry Swing” by Coldplay

4. “Watermark” by Enya

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

2. “Electra” by Airstream

1. “Weightless” by Marconi Union

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

- http://www.stumbleupon.com/

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Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Peak Focus Soft House Study Music with Beta Isochronic Tones"

Full screen recommended

"Peak Focus Soft House Study Music 

with Beta Isochronic Tones"

by Jason Lewis

Headphones Are Not Required

What does this track do? A soft house upbeat study music mix with beta wave isochronic tones. Part of my peak focus for complex tasks series.Designed to produce a deep focus mental state while studying or working. This session stimulates Beta, SMR and Alpha, alternating in 2 minute increments to help keep the user relaxed and engaged. Note: SMR (sensorimotor rhythm) relates to the frequency range between 12 – 15Hz. It’s associated with sensory processing and motor control. Stimulating this can result in relaxed focus and improved attention. This session is meant to speed up the brain while keeping the left hemisphere dominant (good for attention, concentration and reducing emotional response and hyperactivity). ADD and similar disorders are often characterized by “slow-wave” EEG patterns, particularly in the left frontal region. As such, this session stimulates the left brain hemisphere with Beta frequencies and the right with SMR.

Can it be used to help with studying and if so, when should you listen to it? Yes, it can be helpful to use while studying, and if you read through the many comments about this track, you’ll see that many people have successfully used it for studying. You can either listen to it while you are studying, to get your brain into a good mental state when you need it. Or if you are someone that gets a bit distracted by music while studying, listen to it just before you begin.

How Loud Should The Volume Be? There is varying advice and opinions on the impact of volume with brainwave entrainment, with some saying the louder it is the more impact it has. From my own experience, my advice is to play it at a volume level you feel comfortable with. The main thing to consider is that it should be loud enough to hear the repetitive isochronic tones, so you don’t want it so quiet you can hardly hear them. But you also don’t want it so loud that its uncomfortable for you. Somewhere in the middle is my recommendation.

Use this session in the morning or afternoon, to train your brain for better cognition, such as clearer and faster thinking. You can either sit somewhere quiet and comfortable with your eyes closed and give your brain a nice workout, or you can also listen to this while doing an activity that requires a boost in concentration, like studying.

How long should you listen for to get a good effect? It takes around 6 minutes for your brainwaves to fall in step with the tones and become entrained. It then takes time to be guided along the frequency range used in the track. Listening to about half way through is the minimum in my opinion, but 30 minutes is the optimum and preferred length to listen for.

IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Drink some water – Make sure you are well hydrated before listening to brainwave entrainment.

WHY? Your brain is made up of around 75% water, so it needs plenty of water to function well. When you stimulate your brain in this way, you’re increasing electrical activity and blood flow in the brain and giving your brain a good workout, so it can be a good idea to drink before listening, so that your brain can fire on all cylinders.

• It is not recommended to listen to this while driving or operating machinery.

WHY? Brainwave entrainment involves a process of stimulating your brainwaves and changing your mental state. While this is safe to do and use in normal situations, it can sometimes zone you out during the track, as you focus in on the sound of the tones. This could result in you being distracted temporarily, which is not a good thing while you’re driving or operating machinery. Some people also experience tingling and other sensations from the stimulation. While that might feel quite nice sitting in a comfortable chair at home, it could cause you to be distracted while driving and result in an accident.

• It is not recommended to listen to this while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or any mind altering substance.

WHY? When your brain is under the influence of drugs or alcohol it’s not operating to it’s full capacity, and you react differently to stimulation and situations, compared to when you are sober. So as a precaution and because I don’t know how you will react in that situation, I recommend you do not use it in that situation.

• Who should NOT listen to this audio? Those who should not listen to this video/audio include: Those who are prone to or have had seizures, epilepsy, pregnant or wear a pacemaker should NOT listen to this video/audio.

WHY? There is insufficient research data in this area, so as a precaution, if you are among the categories listed above, I would recommend you consult a doctor or medical professional before listening to this video/audio.”

- http://www.mindamend.com/

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Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

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- https://www.mindamend.com/

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Whether you want to know it or not we're all in the fight of our lives, for our lives. Some of you reading this will not survive, and I may not either, so I for one will take any edge I can get, and so should you. This works, I suggest you use it.

- CP

The Daily "Near You?"

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Thanks for stopping by!

"Some Oddities..."

¨"There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world. The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be."

- Douglas Adams

"Risk of a Crash is Rising"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly 10/5/22:

"Risk of a Crash is Rising"

"It makes no difference where you live. 

The economy is getting more precarious."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Just Look At Us..."

"Just look at us. Everything is backwards; everything is upside down. Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the major media destroy information and religions destroy spirituality"

- Michael Ellner

"As Robert Oppenheimer said a short while before he died, 'It is perfectly obvious that the whole world is going to hell. The only possible chance that it might not is that we do not attempt to prevent it from doing so.' You see, many of the troubles going on in the world right now are being supervised by people with very good intentions whose attempts are to keep things in order, to clean things up, to forbid this, and to prevent that. The more we try to put everything to rights, the more we make fantastic messes. Maybe that is the way it has got to be. Maybe I should not say anything at all about the folly of trying to put things to right but simply, on the principle of Blake, let the fool persist in his folly so that he will become wise."

- Alan Watts

"A Diagnostic Letter To Our Euro-Peon Vassals, Who Are Dumber Than The Better Class Of Nematode"

"A Diagnostic Letter To Our Euro-Peon Vassals, 

Who Are Dumber Than The Better Class Of Nematode"

by Fred Reed

"Well, I declare. I hear you Europeans bleating and hollering about how unfair life is and you don’t have gas to keep warm if it gets cold in winter, which generally it does, and everything costs too much. Fact is, you deserve it. To be honest, which we journalists sometimes do, I think it’s amusing. It’s like watching a man beating his thumb with a hammer and saying, oh ouch, oh ouch, it hurts, oh ouch, it hurts and can’t figure out why. It’s because Europeans are so easily led, managed, dominated by the fetid Yankee Rome in Washington, which regards you as trained seals. I’ve known fire plugs, even toaster ovens, more intelligent than you are.

You poor widdle fings! You aren’t even real countries. You can’t be a real country when you have American occupation troops and military bases everywhere and uncouth foreign soldiers drinking your beer and diddling your daughters. GIs tell me the Italian ones are best, with English girls often being mistaken for dead. I couldn’t stand the humiliation, but Europeans are a resilient people.

Really, it’s a cackle. Mornings, I fire up the computer to see what you squirming servile dwarves have done now. You are better than Monty Python. Think. Ten years ago you were all peaceful and had plenty of cheap Russian gas and your factories were humming like contented cats and you were buying stuff from Russia and selling it I don’t know what all. Then Master Washington says you have to push the Ukraine toward NATO. You dim twits need Ukraine in NATO like you need a corn cob where the sun don’t shine but Europe is servile by nature, so you say, “Yass, Bwana! What you say, Boss! Which boot we lick first, Massuh?” I see a bull market for flavored boot polish. Brussels would buy trainloads.

Anyway, Russia says over and over and over, If Washington tries to put NATO in Ukraine, dey gonna be wah. Even a European, or some anyway, could understand this. Or maybe, with help from a caring adult. But Massuh Washington wanted wah, and told you to keep pushing, “Yass, Bwana,” and you didn’t listen to Putin, because you are dumber than retarded possums and belong in diapers. What children you are. Nanny nanny booboo.

This is wonderfully funny, and I am enjoying it outrageously. You are going to freeze. Good. It’s a hoot but it’s a Darwin thing too. It’s good for the world when a region with the aggregate IQ of inbred bacteria eliminates itself. Well, except for the Italian girls for the GIs. We’ll keep those. You are going to freeze solid like terra cotta soldiers or burn your houses to keep warm and your farmers will grow scrawny underweight plants because you cut off fertilizer and gas from Russia to show your devotion to your stern Potomac Father. It’s comic. You are so stoopid! When American proconsuls go to Brussels your anointed European butt-sniffers rush out to be patted on the head and, or so I hear, receive suitcases of money. How dignified.

But the funniest part was blowing up the pipelines. Yes. See, Washington couldn’t let Germany, the only potentially serious country in Europe, except it really isn’t one, trade with Russia and China. So it gets the war going in Ukraine, easy with malleable European dimwits, and then…blows up the pipelines! Simple, direct, and effective. The amusing thing is that everyone in Brussels knows perfectly well that America did it, as must every European with the IQ of a doorknob, but none of you weak sisters has the dangling ellipsoidals to say so, because then you would have to do something about it, and you are scared unto death of the United States. Of which the United States is well aware and so, reasonably, holds you in contempt. I do too. I mean doesn’t everybody?

So some silly woman in Belgium - Ursula Borderline or something, anyway a scrawny blonde who looks like she really needs a sandwich - yaps from under the sofa that doing bad things to Europe’s energy infrastructure is “unacceptable,” Grr, bowwow, woof. But sweetheart, you poor, dumb monument to pusillanimous inadequacy, of course it is acceptable. You are accepting it, aren’t you? You know who did it, Washington knows you know, but you will look studiedly puzzled while Washington chuckles inwardly. Europeans are so gelatinous, so weak, so negligible.

I mean, seriously. Suppose you admitted that America did it. What could you poor dears do about it? Nothing. NATO controls Europe. What do you think those bases are for? And Washington is NATO. You wouldn´t dare close even the smallest US base, or even a closet door in one. Haha! Freeze, baby, freeze.

So, suckers, you’ve been taken for a ride by experts. And America makes out like a bandit. Washington tells you who you can trade with, and you obey, yass, Bwana, what you say. America gets to sell you overpriced LNG (liquefied natural gas). You will meekly buy uberbillions of costume-jewelry weapons from America. Your dependence on the US approaches outright ownership. Without cheap Russian gas, electricity will be really pricey and your factories will close or maybe go offshore to America and Europe will get in touch with its inner backwater. Hey, it’s a giggle.

England is America’s most devoted camp follower, a political barnacle firm glued to the ship of the Yankee state, making international noises in an effort to pretend it is more than an American poodle. (You may be wondering how it is possible to be a poodle and a barnacle at the same time. Multiple personality disorder, maybe.) From Brexit we went to endless Truss ads. Now we are back to the standby, hissing at Russia. Yass, Massuh.

You think you are defending democracy, doing something about human rights and, you know, having values or something. No, halfwits, you are helping Washington cut you off from the world’s largest markets. Yes, children. As the rest of Eurasia grows like Topsy, as the center of gravity of technology and economy moves eastward, America will pillage you as you pillaged most of the world and turn you into a peninsular homeless shelter. You will be all grateful to Massuh Washington for saving you from the evil Putin monster who was about to conquer all of Europe and turn you into slaves or robots or something else bad. You will buy lots of dysfunctional fighter planes.

And you will crawl. It is your way."

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

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Hat tip to The Burning Platform for this material.

"How It Really Is"

Yeah...

Any questions?

"Popular Mechanics"

"Popular Mechanics"

by Addison Wiggin

“And if the world went to hell in a handbasket – as it seemed to be doing – you could say good-bye to everyone and retreat to your land, hunkering down and living off it.”

- Jeannette Walls, "Half Broken Horses"

"Yesterday, we got a glimpse of what trader’s call “the dead cat bouncing.” The Dow ended up 2.6%... S&P up 2.5%... even the tech heavy Nasdaq saw gains of 2.2%. Trader’s use the very technical term “dead cat bounce” when the market rallies despite languid fundamentals. Today, the Dow continues to rise. As of this writing it’s up another 2.5%, recresting 30,000 once again.

But that’s the thing about a bouncing cat, what goes up… must come down. The impending energy crisis in Europe and the ongoing saga of the Nordstream pipelines, which we discussed in this week’s Session, will likely weigh heavy on the markets up to and past the mid-term elections in early November.

“You offered your ‘three cents’ on the Nord Stream mystery,” Carl N. writes. “I guess even the usual and historic cost of our thoughts, two cents, is experiencing 50% inflation.” Reader mail of late has made me think back to an experiment my parents tried when I was a kid. They wanted to live off the land. Yes, it was the 70s, but they weren’t hippies, per se. More like old school Yankees. Pragmatic.

They bought and sold old colonial houses in New Hampshire. When I was five, we moved into a house that was built in 1750… in the middle of February. No one had thought to install indoor plumbing, yet. The outhouse was, um, a little icy.

The old house was sitting on 22 acres of land off Emery Road. Plenty enough for a garden to feed a family of four. We grew tomatoes, green beans and peppers, squash and pumpkins. There were chickens. And a dog who birthed puppies we could sell. There was a big forest that extended down to the Lamprey River offering plenty of firewood.

Lamprey River, near Stratham NH, 

where the Emery Road house is located. 

Starting with one pickup truck, my father delivered building supplies to his friends who were working as contractors building new houses, barns and doing odd job repairs. My mother sold flower arrangements on the roadside to pay for our school. I’m relaying this story to point out I was just a kid when the historic 40-year inflation we’ve been writing about today shut down my dad’s business.

The cost of lumber, asphalt shingles and nails was increasing at an unpredictable rate. The oil embargo of ‘73 sent gas up nearly 50% to unheard of $.59 a gallon– that’s if the gas station even had any supply. People stopped driving, building houses or even conceiving of odd jobs. Without much income, my parents sold the farm, took the capital gains and moved us into a more modest home. The next one was newer, maybe 1930s construction, and came equipped with plumbing and heat. In total we lived in nine different houses in Stratham before I left home at 17.

I remember my father used to lie awake on Sunday mornings planning his next project. It was just his thing. One idea led to a solar house he built into a hill with a greenhouse that generated heat. A convection system drew heat from the greenhouse. The air whooshed to the top of the rafters on the third floor… whipped across the highest level… then cooled against a thirty foot concrete retaining wall… dropping under the basement floor boards and returned to the greenhouse. The entire house could be heated in the winter or cooled in the summer using this flow of air. It was amazing to me. Apparently, my dad got the idea from reading an editorial in Popular Mechanics magazine.

An old copy of Popular Mechanics.

“We are eating out and going out less,” writes Juan U. in response to our question from last week: “With inflation on the horizon, how are you cutting back?” The idea was to get a bead on how much inflation and recession fears are changing your personal consumption plans. We want to get a real-world look at a recession. “We stopped discretionary spending,” Juan concludes, “and are now focused on our savings and investing.”

“We’re switching to store brands and foregoing the major labels when shopping,” writes Carl M. “dropping any streaming service that is of little use to us and thinking of dropping cable for internet only. We're eating out less and cooking more at home. Also, no more impulse purchases on Amazon!”

“Absolutely have cut back on spending,” another Carl writes, “Saving all I can to have a reserve to deploy when I think the bottom is close. I also believe every $1 I don’t spend is $5 or $10 I don’t have to earn. And based on your advice living remotely and self-sufficiently.”

“You asked if anyone was cutting cost on food or beverages to write in and let you know,” writes Gary K. “Well we aren't really cutting costs but my wife opened her coffee business in 2004 and started selling a fresh roasted (we roast on site), fresh brewed cup of coffee for $1, and to this day September 29th 2022 she still has a fresh roasted, fresh brewed cup of coffee for $1. This is her way of helping out where she can knowing that everything else is so expensive.”

- https://5minforecast.com/category/daily-issue/