Musical Interlude: 2002, “Where The Stars And Moon Play”

Full screen recommended.

2002, “Where The Stars And Moon Play”

“Pamela and Randy Copus are the duo known as 2002. Randy Copus plays piano, electric cello, guitar, bass and keyboards. Pamela Copus plays flutes, harp, keyboards and a wind instrument called a WX5. Both musicians also provide all of the vocals on their albums, recording their voices many, many times and layering them to create a "virtual choir" with a celestial, angelic quality.”

"A Look to the Heavens"

Also known as the Cigar Galaxy for its elongated visual appearance, M82 is a starburst galaxy with a superwind. In fact, through ensuing supernova explosions and powerful winds from massive stars, the burst of star formation in M82 is driving the prodigious outflow of material. Evidence for the superwind from the galaxy’s central regions is clear in this sharp composite image, based on data from small telescopes on planet Earth.

The composite highlights emission from filaments of atomic hydrogen gas in reddish hues. The filaments extend for over 10,000 light-years. Some of the gas in the superwind, enriched in heavy elements forged in the massive stars, will eventually escape into intergalactic space. Triggered by a close encounter with nearby large galaxy M81, the furious burst of star formation in M82 should last about 100 million years or so. M82 is 12 million light-years distant, near the northern boundary of Ursa Major.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111006.html

"Life Comes at You Fast, So You Better Be Ready"

"Life Comes at You Fast, So You Better Be Ready"

by Ryan Holiday

"In 1880, Theodore Roosevelt wrote to his brother, “My happiness is so great that it makes me almost afraid.” In October of that year, life got even better. As he wrote in his diary the night of his wedding to Alice Hathaway Lee, “Our intense happiness is too sacred to be written about.” He would consider it to be one of the best years of his life: he got married, wrote a book, attended law school, and won his first election for public office.

The streak continued. In 1883, he wrote “I can imagine nothing more happy in life than an evening spent in the cozy little sitting room, before a bright fire of soft coal, my books all around me, and playing backgammon with my own dainty mistress.” And that’s how he and Alice spent that cold winter as it crawled into the new year. He wrote in late January that he felt he was fully coming into his own. “I feel now as though I have the reins in my hand.” On February 12th, 1884 his first daughter was born.

Two days later, his wife would be dead of Bright’s disease (now known as kidney failure). His mother had died only hours earlier in the same house, of typhoid fever. Roosevelt marked the day in his diary with a large “X.” Next to it, he wrote, “The light has gone out of my life.”

Life comes at us fast, don’t it?  It can change in an instant. Everything you built, everyone you hold dear, can be taken from you. For absolutely no reason. Just as easily, you can be taken from them. This is why the Stoics say we need to be prepared, constantly, for the twists and turns of Fortune. It’s why Seneca said that nothing happens to the wise man contrary to his expectation, because the wise man has considered every possibility—even the cruel and heartbreaking ones.

And yet even Seneca was blindsided by a health scare in his early twenties that forced him to spend nearly a decade in Egypt to recover. He lost his father less than a year before he lost his first-born son, and twenty days after burying his son he was exiled by the emperor Caligula. He lived through the destruction of one city by a fire and another by an earthquake, before being exiled two more times.

One needs only to read his letters and essays, written on a rock off the coast of Italy, to get a sense that even a philosopher can get knocked on their ass and feel sorry for themselves from time to time.

What do we do? Well, first, knowing that life comes at us fast, we should be always prepared. Seneca wrote that the fighter who has “seen his own blood, who has felt his teeth rattle beneath his opponent’s fist… who has been downed in body but not in spirit…” - only they can go into the ring confident of their chances of winning. They know they can take getting bloodied and bruised. They know what the darkness before the proverbial dawn feels like. They have a true and accurate sense for the rhythms of a fight and what winning requires. That sense only comes from getting knocked around. That sense is only possible because of their training.

In his own life, Seneca bloodied and bruised himself through a practice called premeditatio malorum (“the premeditation of evils”). Rehearsing his plans, say to take a trip, he would go over the things that could go wrong or prevent the trip from happening - a storm could spring up, the captain could fall ill, the ship could be attacked by pirates, he could be banished to the island of Corsica the morning of the trip. By doing what he called a premeditatio malorum, Seneca was always prepared for disruption and always working that disruption into his plans. He was fitted for defeat or victory. He stepped into the ring confident he could take any blow. Nothing happened contrary to his expectations.

Second, we should always be careful not to tempt fate. Life comes at us fast… but that doesn’t mean we should be stupid. We also shouldn’t be arrogant.

Third, we have to hang on. Remember, that in the depths of both of Seneca’s darkest moments, he was unexpectedly saved. From exile, he was suddenly recalled to be the emperor’s tutor. In the words of the historian Richard M. Gummere, “Fortune, whom Seneca as a Stoic often ridicules, came to his rescue.” But Churchill, as always, put it better: “Sometimes when Fortune scowls most spitefully, she is preparing her most dazzling gifts.”

Life is like this. It gives us bad breaks - heartbreakingly bad breaks - and it also gives us incredible lucky breaks. Sometimes the ball that should have gone in, bounces out. Sometimes the ball that had no business going in surprises both the athlete and the crowd when it eventually, after several bounces, somehow manages to pass through the net.

When we’re going through a bad break, we should never forget Fortune’s power to redeem us. When we’re walking through the roses, we should never forget how easily the thorns can tear us upon, how quickly we can be humbled. Sometimes life goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t.

This is what Theodore Roosevelt learned, too. Despite what he wrote in his diary that day in 1884, the light did not completely go out of Roosevelt’s life. Sure, it flickered. It looked like the flame might have been cruelly extinguished. But with time and incredible energy and force of will, he came back from those tragedies. He became a great father, a great husband, and a great leader. He came back and the world was better for it. He was better for it.

Life comes at us fast. Today. Tomorrow. When we least expect it. Be ready. Be strong. Don’t let your light be snuffed out.

- https://ryanholiday.net/

Kahlil Gibran, "A Poet's Voice Xv"

“You are my brother, but why are you quarreling with me? Why do you invade my country and try to subjugate me for the sake of pleasing those who are seeking glory and authority?

Why do you leave your wife and children and follow Death to the distant land for the sake of those who buy glory with your blood, and high honor with your mother's tears?

Is it an honor for a man to kill his brother man? If you deem it an honor, let it be an act of worship, and erect a temple to Cain who slew his brother Abel.

Is self-preservation the first law of Nature? Why, then, does Greed urge you to self-sacrifice in order only to achieve his aim in hurting your brothers? Beware, my brother, of the leader who says, "Love of existence obliges us to deprive the people of their rights!" I say unto you but this: protecting others' rights is the noblest and most beautiful human act; if my existence requires that I kill others, then death is more honorable to me, and if I cannot find someone to kill me for the protection of my honor, I will not hesitate to take my life by my own hands for the sake of Eternity before Eternity comes.

Selfishness, my brother, is the cause of blind superiority, and superiority creates clanship, and clanship creates authority which leads to discord and subjugation.

The soul believes in the power of knowledge and justice over dark ignorance; it denies the authority that supplies the swords to defend and strengthen ignorance and oppression - that authority which destroyed Babylon and shook the foundation of Jerusalem and left Rome in ruins. It is that which made people call criminals great men; made writers respect their names; made historians relate the stories of their inhumanity in manner of praise.

The only authority I obey is the knowledge of guarding and acquiescing in the Natural Law of Justice.

What justice does authority display when it kills the killer? When it imprisons the robber? When it descends on a neighborhood country and slays its people? What does justice think of the authority under which a killer punishes the one who kills, and a thief sentences the one who steals?

You are my brother, and I love you; and Love is justice with its full intensity and dignity. If justice did not support my love for you, regardless of your tribe and community, I would be a deceiver concealing the ugliness of selfishness behind the outer garment of pure love.”

- Kahlil Gibran

View online the complete "A Poet's Voice Xv" here:

- http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-poet-s-voice-xv/

"Lying..."

"We know they are lying, they know they are lying,

 they know we know they are lying,

 we know they know we know they are lying, 

but, they are still lying."

- Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

THe Daily "Near You?"

Bloomfield, New Mexico, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"No Special Hurry..."

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong in the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too, but there will be no special hurry."

- Ernest Hemingway, "A Farewell To Arms"

The Poet: J.R.R. Tolkien, "I Sit And Think"

"I Sit And Think"

“I sit beside the fire and think

Of all that I have seen,

Of meadow flowers and butterflies

In summers that have been.

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

In autumns that there were,

With morning mist and silver sun

And wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring

That I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things

That I have never seen,

In every wood, in every spring,

There is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of people long ago,

And people that will see a world

That I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

Of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

And voices at the door.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien

"What Is The Joy About?"

“There are meaningful warnings which history gives a threatened or perishing society. Such are, for instance, the decadence of art, or a lack of great statesmen. There are open and evident warnings, too. The center of your democracy and of your culture is left without electric power for a few hours only, and all of a sudden crowds of American citizens start looting and creating havoc. The smooth surface film must be very thin, then, the social system quite unstable and unhealthy. But the fight for our planet, physical and spiritual, a fight of cosmic proportions, is not a vague matter of the future; it has already started. The forces of Evil have begun their offensive; you can feel their pressure, and yet your screens and publications are full of prescribed smiles and raised glasses. What is the joy about?”

- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

"From Bad to Worse in Real Time"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly 12/23/22:

"From Bad to Worse in Real Time"

"Nothing is real in the economy. The FTX debacle is made worse because the founder was let out on bail. Things are going from bad to worse in real time."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"Clowns and Jokers"

"Clowns and Jokers"

by Bill Bonner

"Clowns to the left of me

Jokers to the right..."

~ Jerry Rafferty, Joe Egan

Youghal, Ireland - "More hilarity for the Christmas season! We all know that the US owes $31 trillion. We all know too that it can’t pay it. Imagine what it would take. Instead of running a $2 trillion deficit, the pols and hacks in Congress would have to cut $3 trillion from the budget to get a $1 trillion surplus – and do it for the next 31 years! Not going to happen.

Instead, the plan is to spend, spend, spend…until daddy takes the credit card away. What will actually happens is this: The feds will continue to spend, irresponsibly…wantonly…and stupidly. Bloomberg has the latest: "US Senate Passes Giant $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill With Ukraine Aid, Election Change." "The Senate easily passed a more than $1.7 trillion government funding bill that includes more aid for Ukraine and changes to the way presidential elections are counted. Passage of the bill funneling $47 billion toward the effort to help Ukraine’s defense against Russia came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the US Congress in his first trip outside his war-torn homeland since the invasion began."

Out the Wazoo! This spending will shift more and more of the nation’s resources towards unproductive, or anti-productive, uses – such as buying weapons for the Ukrainians…. or simply giving them money to put in their Swiss bank accounts. The effect will be to reduce the real wealth of the USA…while also increasing the amount of dollars flushing through the system.

The dollars will multiply when the Fed finally abandons its inflation fighting and ‘pivots’ back towards more money printing. It will do that when the coming recession softens inflation numbers while it sharpens the pain felt by ordinary families...as well as by the elite.

Already, the middle class has seen its real wages fall for 20 months in a row. And soon, its houses – where it stores its wealth – will fall in value. As for the rich, they’ve lost about 20% on their investments so far. By our estimate, they’ve got another 20% to go to get down to reasonable prices…and then 20% more on top of that as investors inevitably give up and prices ‘over-shoot.’ Then, amid the gnashing of teeth and wailing of widows the feds can go back to what they do best – destroying the economy with fake money and foolish spending.

The Fed will also be happily destroying the value of US bonds…which just happen to be the instruments in which US debt is calibrated. Yes, the common people, with their common sense, know that you can’t spend more than you earn forever. But the elite know how to make a buck off of it. Thus, will the debt be reduced…and eventually eliminated, as Americans also see their savings and living standards greatly reduced. But the stock market will be reflated…and the deciders will find ways to profit.

But stepping back to the present, we note that the pain and suffering of America’s future bankruptcy could be averted…or at least partly assuaged. The trick would be to get control of US finances now and not spend so damned much money.

We, The Mute: On that note, the House of Representatives has just swung over to the Republicans, who are supposed to be the people who care about such things. The House of Representatives is also supposed to have the ‘power of the purse;’ it is supposed to represent ‘The People’ and make sure their money isn’t wasted.

You’d think the current Republicans would insist on waiting, rather than going along with another huge spendapalooza. After all, The People have spoken; shouldn’t Congress listen to them before spending more money? Dream on!

Instead, with the support of the Republicans, Congress has come up with the aforementioned $1.7 trillion spending extravaganza, Politico: "The year-end spending package that Congress is rushing to pass this week does more than fund the government through September. It’s also chock full of policy provisions that affect everything from the lobster industry to TikTok to professional sports.

The $1.7 trillion government funding measure is the last major must-pass bill on the legislative docket before the start of the 118th Congress in January, when divided government and a looming 2024 presidential election will make legislating even harder than it currently is. That makes the spending bill a magnet for members trying to cram in their priorities just before the holidays."

Christmas Wishlist: On 4,155 slimy pages you will find their ‘priorities’; Representative Dan Bishop highlighted a few of them:

● $410 million to protect the borders – of Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Oman and Lebanon. Protect them from what? We don’t know.

● $65 million to “restore Pacific salmon populations.’ Heck, why not?

● $3.6 million to make a hiking trail named after Michelle Obama. Who could be against that?

● $200 million to promote ‘gender equity and equality’ with some of the funds ‘made available for programs to promote democracy and for gender equality in Pakistan.

● $3 million for an LGBTQ museum in New York…another essential project for a bankrupt government.

Yes, the bill was all “christmas treed up.” Good, bad…Santa didn’t care. Here are some other gems from the Heritage Foundation:

●$477,000 for the Equity Institute in Rhode Island to indoctrinate teachers with “antiracism virtual labs.”

● $1 million for Zora’s House in Ohio, a “coworking and community space” for “women and gender-expansive people of color.”

● $750,000 for “LGBT and Gender Non-Conforming housing” in Albany, N.Y.

● $2 million for the “Great Blacks in Wax” museum in Baltimore.

● $750,000 for the “TransLatin@ Coalition” to provide “workforce development programs and supportive services for Transgender and Gender nonconforming and Intersex (TGI) immigrant women in Los Angeles.”

The bill affects all manner of commerce and social life in the USA. But not a single member of Congress will read it. Were we a member of Congress, we wouldn’t bother to read it either. What’s the point? It’s all giveaways, disguised as claptrap.

But since we are enjoying a Fezziwigian glow of holiday cheer…and since this will be our last contact with you until after Christmas…rather than criticize, we will offer some constructive suggestions. How could the budget be cut and disaster avoided? (You may want to send this to your member of Congress to give him an opportunity to thank you, before tossing our recommendations into the wastebasket.)

Modest Suggestions: Were we, by some act of madness or imprudence, suddenly in charge of the US government, we would proceed quickly to eliminate our major problems, foreign and domestic. In less than 24 hours, inflation would disappear…the budget would be balanced, the Russians and Chinese would no longer be our mortal enemies…and Americans could go about their lives without the heavy hands of the feds holding them back.

As for the ‘foreign policy’ issues – Russia, Ukraine, China…and other bugaboos – what business of ours is it whether Russia’s frontier with the Ukraine runs along the Dnipro or the Sea of Azov? Ditto Taiwan. Not our problem. The US has spent billions of dollars promoting ‘democracy,’ or…sometimes…‘dictatorship’, depending on which way the wind is blowing. And what good has it done us? A lot of smart people have made their careers, their reputations and their fortunes meddling overseas, but ‘The People’ have gotten nothing from it…other than lost money, PTSDs and lost lives.

We would simply announce that we have no further interest in the matter, cut off all foreign aid, and bring back all US troops now dawdling in far-flung, godforsaken outposts.

We might, just for theatrical flourish and clarification, also send out a little note to foreign governments letting them know that we have renounced the whole ‘empire’ misadventure. No more sanctions. No more assassinations or coups. No more undeclared war. Our spooks would be recalled…tried for their crimes…fired or hung, as their cases warrant.

Most of our long-range airplanes and warships, having no further use, would be scrapped. The Pentagon budget would be reduced from $855 billion to an amount actually needed to defend the country from attack…perhaps $100 billion, maybe less.

Turning to the homefront, the Fed would be immediately disbanded. Henceforth, if banks get into trouble – too bad for them. And buyers and sellers would figure out interest rates for themselves. Rates may be higher; they may be lower. But they would finally be honest.

We would also return to a gold standard, fixing the price of the dollar at 1/1800th of an ounce. This would not be a perfect money system, nothing is. But it is the best we can think of. There would be no further fear of inflation…and no further instability caused by fake money or fake interest rates.

So too, approximately 1,950 government agencies would be terminated. They come…but they don’t go. This is our chance to ‘drain the swamp,’ and get rid of them. Only those performing vital functions would remain, if there are any. All “welfare” would cease. All grants for this or that…giveaways…subsidies…payoffs....bribes… would end. Social security and medical care would have to continue; we get a generous check each month. But they would be cut back, curtailed…and gradually eliminated.

In short, we would go back to the form of government foreseen and prescribed by the founding fathers – a small government with limited power and limited resources. The savings, from cuts in military and domestic spending, would give the feds a surplus of at least $2 trillion + annually…which could be applied to paying off the national debt. Problem solved.

Of course, we don’t want to make light of the difficulty of going from here to there. The adjustments would be brutal for some – those accustomed to living off the hard work of others. For others, it would be seamless. And for all, it would be quick. All of a sudden, millions of people would have to get up off their fat duffs and get to work. The US economy would flower and bloom…driven by people who needed to provide goods or services to others. Almost everyone would be happier, as new inventions, new services, rediscovered freedom and cheaper products graced their lives.

What are the odds that this could happen? Zero. But as Hemingway put it, ‘wouldn’t it be pretty to think so.’ Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Enjoy the ‘Dark Passage.’ Or whatever."

- bonnerprivateresearch@substack

"Breaking: Moscow Missile Defense Activated; Apocalyptic Winter Storm And Power Grid"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, AM 12/23/22:

"Breaking: Moscow Missile Defense Activated;

 Apocalyptic Winter Storm And Power Grid"

"Moscow has deployed mobile air defenses around the city

 as a record breaking winter storm paralyzes North America."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Related:

Full screen recommended.

Times Now, AM 12/23/22

"Ukraine - Russia War Live Updates"

o

"America’s 2022 Allocations to Ukraine: Total $112 Billion"

Jim Kunstler, "Santa and Satan"

"Santa and Satan"

by Jim Kunstler

“Amidst the general call to happiness, the bustle of the spirits, and stir of the affections, which prevail at this period, what bosom can remain insensible?” 

- Washington Irving (1783–1859) on Christmas

"Santa… Satan…? Notice, they’re spelled similarly. Weird, a little bit….The Santa we know came from a mashup of ancient pre-Christian Teutonic and Norse folk figures (Wotan, Odin) with the 4th century Greek bishop, St. Nicholas, a humble giver of gifts to children. That evolved in 19th century Anglo-America, with help from Washington Iriving, Charles Dickens, and Clement Moore, into the jolly fat man in a fur-lined cloak, chortling merrily amid the platters of roast goose and baskets of sugarplums.

And then, of course, the Santa character was retooled and stylized by the big advertising mills of mid-20th century Madison Avenue into the red-suited icon who functioned as a cosmic delivery-man to suburban houses where the little ones dwell, efficiently distributing Red Ryder BB guns and Barbie Dolls from sea to shining sea out of his reindeer-powered express vehicle, circling the entire globe in a single breathless night of glittering snow and shining stars, plangent with countless wishes from little hearts.

Strange to relate, in some corners of Europe, St. Nick acquired a traveling companion named Krampus. The two went from house-to-house in the dark hours of St. Nick’s name-day (Dec. 6) interrogating children as to their conduct. Dark and hirsuit, with horns, cloven hooves, and a darting red tongue, this monster acted the “bad cop” of the roving pair, badgering the little ones about their naughty or nice doings, and whacking them with a birch rod if he didn’t like their answers. If especially displeased, he stuffed kids into a basket for transport to Hell.

A Krampus-like character reemerged in America this pre-Christmas week in the figure of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, who flew halfway around the world in a US government-issue magic sled to meet up with his chum, the new Santa Claus, “Joe Biden,” alleged current president of our land. Mr. Z, still tricked-out in his wartime olive-green togs and scrufty beard, was here to lecture the boys and girls of Congress about being naughty or nice vis-à-vis “democracy” in his distant land, lately under a siege of angry bears. Ukraine did nothing to make the bears angry, you understand. They just lumbered in from the forest one day and started busting stuff up, as bears will.

Ukraine has already received many gifts from Santa’s workshop, formerly known as the USA, toys much more impressive than any Red Ryder BB gun, for sure: howitzers, Javelin missiles, Stinger missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Phoenix Ghost tactical drones, Switchblade tactical drones, Puma surveillance drones, Vampire anti-drone systems, Mi-17 helicopters, Harpoon coastal defense systems, and much more. (How did Santa fit it all in his sack?)

Mr. Z and fellow officials of the bear-besieged country have also received plenty of “walking-around money,” much of which has walked-around so far and wide in the world as to park itself in sundry obscure bank accounts, real estate investments, or just plumb vanish into thin air. It wasn’t enough, Mr. Z complained upon arrival here. You must pony-up more… or else! And you must punish the bears harder!

“Joe Biden” promised another fifty-billions of dollars to Mr. Z’s bear-extermination project, with the further objective of dethroning the king of all bears, the wicked Putin, who glowers at the world from the mouth of his faraway Kremlin Cave. Then, in Congress Wednesday night, before a coast-to-coast TV audience, Mr. Z tuned-up our elected boys and girls in the great House chamber, forked tongue darting, to tell heart-wrenching tales of bear-provoked terror. He played them like the very keys of a harpsichord - a trick he has performed before with an interesting twist on Ukrainian television. The elect of our land stood and cheered, ready to proclaim Ukraine the fifty-first state. Mr. Z stole a smooch from the ruler of Congress, the winsome Ms. Pelosi, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke that left a tang of sulfur wafting on the stale air.

To underscore his seriousness, and using his secret powers, Mr. Z arranged for a bomb-cyclone storm to roar out of the North Pole a few days after his departure to give Americans a little taste of what it’s like to sit in the cold and dark at Christmas time - because the USA is such a blessed land as to have no problems of its own, and needs to be reminded about the sufferings of the less fortunate. And so it goes this Yuletide of 2022 in our charmed and exceptional country. The elves at Clusterf**k Nation wish you all a merry little Christmas!"

- https://kunstler.com/

"Massive Shrinkflation At Dollar Tree! This Is Ridiculous!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 12/23/22:

"Massive Shrinkflation At Dollar Tree! This Is Ridiculous!"

"In today's vlog we are Dollar Tree, and are noticing massive food products that have shrunk in size! We are also noticing 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/

o

Comparison:

Full screen recommended.

Traveling With Russell, 12/23/22:

"Russian Typical Supermarket After 10 Months of Sanctions"

"Take a look around a Russian Typical Supermarket in Moscow, Russia. After 10 months of Sanctions impeded on Russia how does a Russian typical Supermarket look. What are the prices really like now." One ruble = 0.014 United States Dollar.

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Your thoughts, Good Citizen?

"Feverishly Racing Toward Our Own Destruction…" (Excerpt)

"Feverishly Racing Toward Our Own Destruction…"

By Michael Snyder

Excerpt: "We are careening directly into an abyss of war, pain and misery, and our leaders are thunderously applauding as it happens. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to Washington this week because he wanted more money, and our politicians in Washington definitely did not disappoint him. Even though we had already given Ukraine far more money than the rest of the world combined, our politicians agreed to give him another colossal mountain of cash. On some level, we all have to respect Zelenskyy’s skills as a con man. Even though he has banned the main opposition party in Ukraine, and even though he has banned all television stations that were critical of him, and even though he just banned an entire ancient Christian denomination, our politicians continue to worship him like some sort of a pop music star. Zelenskyy has become an extremely oppressive dictator that has set himself up to rule Ukraine for as long as he wants, but members of Congress from both parties continue to hail him as a “champion of democracy” that deserves our unquestioning support.

What makes this so dangerous is that Zelenskyy has been trying very hard to pull the United States into his war with Russia. Throughout 2022 the U.S. has been getting increasingly involved in the conflict, and at this point we are “providing most of the funding, most of the equipment, most of the ammunition, most of the high level intelligence and much of the training” for the international army that is fighting the Russians in Ukraine. In other words, we are essentially a direct participant in the war.

For years I have been warning my readers that there would be a war with Russia, and now it is here. If we had rational leaders in Washington, they would be trying to end this conflict before the nukes start flying. But instead, they are pledging to give Zelenskyy whatever he needs for as long as it takes to defeat the Russians. When Zelenskyy visited Washington this week, the White House literally rolled out the red carpet for him."

Full, well illustrated, article is here:

- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

o

Related:

"This is Treason in Every Aspect of the Word"

Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 12/23/22"

"Weekly News Wrap-Up 12/23/22"

More Money for War, CV19 Vax Mass Awakening, 

Autos & Economy Plunge

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

"The money for more war in Ukraine keeps flowing out of the U.S. Congress. The Senate passed a monster pork spending package called the Omnibus bill. It was nearly $1.7 trillion. In that pork bucket was another $45 billion for the money laundering scheme that is Ukraine. They say they need it to fight the invading Russians, but not a dime for the invaders on the Southern U.S. border. Meanwhile, Putin is upgrading his nuclear arsenal. Does anybody in Congress see a problem coming here? Idiots and criminals are in charge of the federal government.

Every week there are dozens of people who “die suddenly.” There are blogs that track this phenomenon all around the world. Of course, it’s people dying from the CV19 bioweapon, but you will never hear this from the Lying Legacy Media (LLM). The LLM told everyone to take the injection and that it was “safe and effective.” That was a lie, and everyone involved in this clear genocide is trying to cover it up including the CDC. No matter how hard they all try, what is coming is a mass awakening to the deadly and debilitating scam they passed off as a vaccine. Just ask vax proponent Academy Award winning actor Tim Robbins if he still believes in the clot shots—spoiler alert– he does not. What does that say about the rest of Hollywood? Do you think he has a few friends that think the same way he does?

The economy is plunging. The economic signals are the same as they were before the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009. Meanwhile, the Fed is on a course to continue to raise rates. There is no so-called Fed pivot. There is just a plunge to the downside, and the used car market is reflecting this trend with a massive new wave of car repossessions." There is much more in the 57-min. newscast.

- https://usawatchdog.com/

Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he talks about these 

stories and more in the Weekly News Wrap-Up for 12/23/24.

- https://rumble.com/

Musical Interlude: Josh Groban, "Remember When It Rained"; "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)"

Full screen recommended.

Josh Groban, "Remember When It Rained"

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Full screen recommended.

Josh Groban, "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)"

"They're Going To Burn The Financial System Down; When The Power Goes Out You're In Trouble; Buy Food"

Jeremiah Babe, 12/22/22:

"They're Going To Burn The Financial System Down; 

When The Power Goes Out You're In Trouble; Buy Food"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Canadian Prepper, "Signs That Nuclear War is About to Start"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 12/22/22:

"Signs That Nuclear War is About to Start"

"This is what you will see happen before it goes down. In this video we discuss the declassified 'RYaN report'."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Whole Foods Reports Major Shortages As Grocery Products Become Impossible To Find"

Full screen recommended.

"Whole Foods Reports Major Shortages As 

Grocery Products Become Impossible To Find"

By Epic Economist

"Does your Whole Foods market have empty shelves? In a flood of social media posts, shoppers have been reporting that stores of the Amazon-owned grocery giant are seriously understocked these days, with huge inventory gaps leaving aisles looking emptier than ever. Considering the size of the locations, its upscale reputation, and its unmatched product range, Whole Foods isn’t the kind of supermarket chain where customers would expect to find shortages of everyday items. But newly leaked documents reveal why stockouts are becoming so common at the stores right now, and employees warn that the lower supplies will ultimately impact customers’ wallets.

Since being acquired by Amazon in 2016, Whole Foods has gone through some significant changes over the past few years. While some have been welcome, like curbside pick-up and special discounts, others have been clearly causing some major headaches. Fans of the grocery retailer say that nowadays its supply chain is a total and complete mess.

In a repeat of shortages last seen in 2018, shoppers have been noticing that grains, beans, and lentils are in short supply at several locations all across the country. “Is there a dried bean/lentil shortage or supply disruption? The local Whole Foods has barren shelves and at this point, the bulk section is also empty,” another online comment reads.

In a research note last week, Barclays analyst Karen Short said many stores were also out of cookies, crackers, popcorn, canned beans, peaches, and bottled water. On the West Coast, consumers have reported a consistent lack of lettuce. Other hard-to-find items include staples like bread and even sugar at some locations. Photos shared by Business Insider reveal how barren or sparsely stocked displays of food in some Whole Foods departments, including produce, dairy, bulk foods, and packaged foods.

A representative for the grocery chain explained that some of the shortages are being caused by a current issue with a supplier. Regarding produce shortages, Whole Foods mentioned that extreme weather events earlier this year affected the supply of produce products and some vegetables coming from California.

But one leaked document reviewed by Insider gives an insight into why the stores of one of the largest retailers in the world are facing so many inventory problems in recent days. Managing the inventory of a grocery chain could be tricky for Amazon. Even though the e-commerce giant is supply chain expertise at its distribution centers, a key to the formula that allowed it to become an online sales powerhouse, it still needs to master the stocking of physical stores as well and pay added attention to customer experience.

As it struggles to source new wholesale suppliers, Whole Foods is raising prices on some emerging food brands. Some of the price hikes have added as much as a dollar or two to on-the-shelf prices of products that sell for $20 or less, according to the sources familiar with the matter. Undoubtedly, that will be another serious blow to customers’ wallets. But it’s a risk the Amazon-owned chain seems willing to take."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: Kevin Kern, "Another Realm"

Kevin Kern, "Another Realm"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“How many arches can you count in the below image? If you count both spans of the Double Arch in the Arches National Park in Utah, USA, then two. But since the above image was taken during a clear dark night, it caught a photogenic third arch far in the distance- that of the overreaching Milky Way Galaxy. Because we are situated in the midst of the spiral Milky Way Galaxy, the band of the central disk appears all around us.

The sandstone arches of the Double Arch were formed from the erosion of falling water. The larger arch rises over 30 meters above the surrounding salt bed and spans close to 50 meters across. The dark silhouettes across the image bottom are sandstone monoliths left over from silt-filled crevices in an evaporated 300 million year old salty sea. A dim flow created by light pollution from Moab, Utah can also be seen in the distance.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110524.html

"Those Dread And Hated Enemies..."

"The cloak of the past is cut from patches of feeling, and sewn with rebus threads. Most of the time, the best we can do is wrap it around ourselves for comfort or drag it behind us as we struggle to go on. But everything has its cause and its meaning. Every life, every love, every action and feeling and thought has its reason and significance: its beginning, and the part it plays in the end. Sometimes, we do see. Sometimes, we see the past so clearly, and read the legend of its parts with such acuity, that every stitch of time reveals its purpose, and a kind of message is enfolded in it. Nothing in any life, no matter how well or poorly lived, is wiser than failure or clearer than sorrow. And in the tiny, precious wisdom that they give to us, even those dread and hated enemies, suffering and failure, have their reason and their right to be."

- Gregory David Roberts, "Shantaram"

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“Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope.

Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.

In the end that’s all we have – to hold on tight until dawn.”

- Gregory David Roberts, “Shantaram”

Freely read “Shantaram” online, by Gregory David Roberts, here:

- https://www.readanybook.com/online/565858

"Regret..."

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time;

it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."

~ Sydney J. Harris

Gerald Celente, "Trends In The News"

Fill screen recommended.

Strong language alert!

Gerald Celente, 12/22/22:

"Trends In The News"

"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What’s Next in these increasingly turbulent times."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"I Went To Space And Discovered An Enormous Lie"

Full screen recommended.

"I Went To Space And Discovered An Enormous Lie"

By Ron Garan

"A curious phenomenon often occurs when astronauts travel to space and look out on our planet for the first time: They see how interconnected and fragile life on Earth is, and they feel a sudden responsibility to protect it. Astronaut Ron Garan experienced this so-called “overview effect” when he first saw Earth from space. When he looked out on the planet, he saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life, all protected by a remarkably thin atmosphere.

What he did not see was the thing that society often gives top priority: the economy. For Garan, seeing Earth from space revealed that problems like global warming, deforestation, and biodiversity loss are not disconnected. They are the symptoms of an underlying flaw in how we perceive ourselves as humans: We fail to realize that we are a planetary species."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Former NASA astronaut, serial entrepreneur, humanitarian, and highly decorated combat fighter Ron Garan racked up 178 days in space and more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits between tours on the US Space Shuttle, Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and the International Space Station. During his time in space, Garan conducted four spacewalks in support of ISS construction and maintenance. Prior to those space journeys, he lived and conducted research on the bottom of the ocean in the world’s only undersea research lab, Aquarius."

- https://bigthink.com/