"Tako-Tsubo Syndrome: The Broken Heart Disease"

"Tako-Tsubo Syndrome: The Broken Heart Disease"

by Prof. Filippo Crea

"It seems an infarction, but it's not. It's called Tako-Tsubo syndrome, or stress-induced cardiomyopathy, and it's a rare disease which at first used to be confused with the far more common (and dangerous) cardiac infarction. Patients arrive to the emergency room with the characteristic heart attack symptoms: acute pain in the chest, an electrocardiogram with the typical changes and the release of those enzymes associated with the usual heart disease. Yet, as soon as a coronarography is performed, in order to discover the location where the occlusion preventing the blood reaching the heart was formed, nothing is found. In the infarction this occlusion causes a number of heart cells to die.

Many have defined it also as the "broken heart disease": it affects mostly women in post menopause period, when they are no longer protected by the estrogen hormones, and it is associated with strong emotional stress, like a bereavement, in 80% of the cases. This is the reason why it is often associated with a broken heart. Researchers at the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of the Catholic University – Policlinico Gemelli of Rome, led by Filippo Crea, have identified the mechanism underlying this peculiar pathology and have published an article in the "European Heart Journal," of the European Society of Cardiology. This article is already among the fifty most-read in the field.

"In 80% of the patients, symptoms disappear spontaneously after a couple of weeks, leaving no trace behind", explains Filippo Crea, "whilst in the other cases the damage persists. The fact is that the damage caused by this syndrome is in the heart but not in the coronaries. What we have tried to explain is the mechanism which leads to the onset of these symptoms".

To perform this analysis, the group led by Crea studied fifteen women aged on average 68 for a month. Thanks to this study, they were able to identify for the first time the physiopathological mechanism of the disease. "We concentrated on the apical region of the heart", explains first author Leda Galiuto, "because that is the area where the dysfunction is localized. Due to this, the heart takes on the characteristic shape of an air balloon, or – as the Japanese observed – of a local octopus trap. The Tako-Tsubo is as a matter of fact the name of this pot in Japanese."

The hypothesis the researchers developed is that the mechanism which influences the dysfunction resides in the spasm of the small coronary vessels, the so-called coronary microcirculation. "To prove our hypothesis we used the myocardial contrast echography, a method we pioneered and which allows us to study the coronary microcirculation in a selective, safe and cheap way at the patient's bedside", explains the young researcher. "The microcirculation plays an important role in cardiac diseases", adds Crea, "and the intense vasoconstriction of these small vessels cannot normally be noticed in a coronarography."

Researchers have also been able to demonstrate that this microvascular spasm is reversible and, once over the acute phase, the microvascular dysfunction causing the symptoms is also resolved. "Usually patients are not left with any damage, because the lowering of the blood input is sufficiently serious to prevent the heart from contracting properly, and hence the balloon-like shape, but not enough to determine the death of blood cells, which is what normally happens in an infarction", concludes Crea."

Prof. Filippo Crea, fcrea@rm.unicatt.it, Catholic University of Rome
- http://www.eurekalert.org/
◆

"Chronic Stress Resulting in ‘Broken Heart’ Syndrome"

by N. Shahid, S. Bruhl, B. Saeed & U. Pandya

"Broken heart syndrome/tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is a recently described stress-induced cardiomyopathy that is often associated with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary ischemia including chest pain, ST changes and elevated cardiac enzymes. In most cases the syndrome is triggered by profound physical or psychological stress and has an increased incidence in post menopausal women. Here we describe a patient who was admitted with nonspecific abdominal pain and symptoms of ileus that went onto develop Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy as confirmed by left ventriculography. Unlike previously reported cases, our patient appeared to develop the syndrome as a result of chronic rather than acute stress." Full article:

- http://ispub.com/IJC/8/1/9044

- http://ispub.com/

Citation: N. Shahid, S. Bruhl, B. Saeed & U. Pandya: "Chronic Stress Resulting in ‘Broken Heart’ Syndrome." "The Internet Journal of Cardiology", 2009 Volume 7 Number 1

"It Matters A Great Deal..."

In the movie “The Lion in Winter”, when the sons, in the dungeon, think they hear Henry coming down the stairs to kill them...

Richard: "He's here! He'll get no satisfaction out of us! Don't let him see you beg...Take it like a man!

Geoffrey: "You chivalrous fool! As if the way one falls down matters!"

Richard: "Well, when the fall is all that's left, it matters a great deal."

"Shaya's Home Run"

"Shaya's Home Run"

by Rabbi Paysach Krohn

"In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school careers, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs. There are a few children who attend Chush for most of the week and go to a regular school on Sundays. At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, “Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything that Hashem [G-d] does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is Hashem’s perfection?” The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father’s anguish and stilled by his piercing query.

“I believe,” the father answered, “that when Hashem brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that He seeks is in the way people react to this child.” He then told the following story about his son Shaya. Shaya attends Chush throughout the week and Yeshivah Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway on Sundays. One Sunday afternoon, Shaya and his father came to Darchei Torah as his classmates were playing baseball. The game was in progress and as Shaya and his father made their way towards the ball field, Shaya said, “Do you think you could get me into the game?”

Shaya’s father knew his son was not at all athletic, and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya’s father understood that if his son was chosen in, it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging. Shaya’s father approached one of the boys in the field and asked, “Do you think my Shaya could get into the game?”

The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, “We are losing by six runs and the game is already in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning.” Shaya’s father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field, a position that exists only in softball. There were no protests from the opposing team, which would now be hitting with an extra man in the outfield.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya’s team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded and the potential winning runs on base, Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shaya was told to take a bat and try to get a hit. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible, for Shaya didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so that Shaya should at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came in and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya’s teammates came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shaya. As the next pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game.

Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far and wide beyond the first baseman’s reach. Everyone started yelling, “Shaya, run to first! Shaya, run to first!” Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher’s intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head, as everyone yelled, “Shaya, run to second! Shaya, run to second.”

Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shaya reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran towards him, turned him towards the direction of third base and shouted “Shaya, run to third!”

As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, “Shaya, run home! Shaya, run home!” Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit the “grand slam” and won the game for his team.

“That day,” said the father who now had tears rolling down his face, “those 18 boys reached their level of perfection. They showed that it is not only those who are talented that should be recognized, but also those who have less talent. They too are human beings, they too have feelings and emotions, they too are people, they too want to feel important.”

That is the exceptional lesson of this episode. Too often we seek to find favor and give honor to those who have more than us. But there are people who have fewer friends than we, less money, and less prestige. Those people especially need attention and recognition. We should try to achieve the level of perfection in human relationships which the boys on the ball field at Yeshiva Darchei Torah achieved. Because if children can do it, we adults should certainly be able to accomplish it as well."

- http://www.livinglifefully.com/

"Life Is Difficult..."

“Most do not fully see this truth that life is difficult. Instead they moan more or less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy. They voice their belief, noisily or subtly, that their difficulties represent a unique kind of affliction that should not be and that has somehow been especially visited upon them, or else upon their families, their tribe, their class, their nation, their race or even their species, and not upon others. Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit.”

- M. Scott Peck

The Daily "Near You?"

Dagenham, Barking and Dagenham, United Kingdom

Thanks for stopping by!

"The Cycle of Freedom"

"The Cycle of Freedom"

by Jeff Thomas

"Periodically, I offer up a statement by Scottish economist Alexander Tytler, who, in 1787, was reported to have commented on the then-new American Republic as follows: "A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been about 200 years. These nations always progressed through this sequence:

From Bondage to Moral Certitude;

from Moral Certitude to Great Courage;

from Great Courage to Liberty;

from Liberty to Abundance;

from Abundance to Selfishness;

from Selfishness to Complacency;

from Complacency to Apathy;

from Apathy to Dependency;

from Dependency to Bondage.

Tytler had it right. There is a Freedom Cycle. It’s not an accident. It’s based upon human nature, which is perennial. And it’s not something that can be manipulated to suddenly reverse itself, just because the citizens of a country are unhappy when they find themselves living in the declining stages. It has to play itself out. Tytler was quite a scholar and had come to his conclusion, based upon the rise and fall of many nations, over the ages, with particular emphasis on the Athenian Republic.

Since Tytler’s time, we’ve been able to witness many formerly free countries slide inexorably into their final stages of decline. For example, the countries in the EU are further gone than the countries in North America, and Venezuela is further gone, still. But, what this means is that the cycle is likely to stay in order in these countries over time and, at some point, years from now, Venezuela will be likely to climb out of its Bondage stage before Europe and certainly before North America. But, what very few people can wrap their heads around, is that this is indeed a cycle.

Cycles Never Reverse Themselves: The Freedom Cycle continues until it hits bottom (Bondage), then it stays there for a while. Historically, the generation that is in charge at the time of bondage is never responsible for the eventual rebirth. The bottom must continue long enough for a new generation of adults (who, all their lives have witnessed that "free stuff" is a lie) to create the rebirth. They understand, only too well, that their only hope to have more, is to develop a work ethic and stick to it. (Their still-whining parents continue to hope that a leader will come along and finally deliver on the free lunch.)

The cycle is a long one, as it requires that generations pass. Just as the depression-era people in the US and Europe were hard working and the baby boomers were their spoiled children who voted for those who promised free stuff, and millennials represent the complacency and apathy generation, so these generations must age and slide into the background before a new and productive generation can create a rebirth.

I was extraordinarily fortunate. In my own country, when I was young, we were a relatively poor, but hardworking people who understood that if we didn’t work, we didn’t eat. We didn’t get to build houses for ourselves and we didn’t buy a car. Therefore, everyone except the truly indigent worked. The truly indigent are always very few in any culture, and our entire community looked after them easily, without government support.

But, then came dramatic prosperity. One of the by-products of that prosperity was that a new generation of politicians rose up, hoping to cash in. They promised free stuff to the public, but insisted that they must be left alone to dominate. (Their dual slogans were, "The people may have their say, but Government must have its way," and, "We were elected to govern and govern, we shall.")

But small numbers of us challenged them, dug in our heels and, over time, we gained overwhelming support from our people. We had to rout two successive governments, but, eventually, those political hopefuls who remained, understood that, should they become too domineering, their careers would end. As Thomas Jefferson said, "When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny."

In Jefferson’s day, America had been a frontier. Those who went there to find freedom from the oppression in Europe understood that, if they were to survive there, they must have a strong work ethic and be entirely self-reliant. They were soon joined by others from Europe with a similar ethic. These were not people who would tolerate dominance. Although the colonists only paid King George a meagre 2% in tax, they revolted at the very principle of domination and, through their tenacity, prevailed. (Remember, the majority of them were self-reliant.)

The same was true in my own country. People who have a strong work ethic and are self-reliant may be kind and sharing, but they don’t like being dictated to. Therefore, when we opposed the tyranny that had just begun in our country, we attracted tremendous support from the electorate. (Again, the majority were self-reliant.)

Cuba, today is just breaking out of the ground in its own rebirth. Although it is not yet understood by most of the world, a younger generation of free-marketers have grown to adulthood in a country where the "free stuff" has been an obvious lie. Their parents remain complacent and apathetic, whilst the new generation are transforming their country from the bottom up and their trajectory is unstoppable.

If there is a lesson to be learned here, it is that a Freedom Cycle exists and has always existed and it’s driven by human nature. Most people, when they find themselves in the downward swing of the cycle, become complacent and apathetic, as Tytler describes. Otherwise intelligent, educated people vainly hope for a Freedom Fairy who will appear on the scene and reverse the process (but will continue giving out the free stuff). Historically, this has never happened. No country reverses the cycle. Like a plant, it must die before renewal can occur.

So, the reader may wish to ponder where his own country is on Tytler’s list of stages. If it’s on the upward swing, wonderful—life will be good until it reaches the pivot point of "Abundance to Selfishness". But those whose countries are in the declining stages (especially if they are nearing the "Dependency to Bondage" stage) are in a more dangerous position. I do believe that 99.9% of them will act in accordance with apathy and do nothing. Only a few will choose freedom. But, to do so, they will need to understand that freedom will not find them where they live. Those who seek freedom must go to one of the places where it’s presently rising up from the ground or has already gotten on a roll and is on the upward swing of the cycle."

- internationalman.com

"How It Really Is"

 

"Strike Back! Nations Are Arming Themselves To The Teeth! No More War!"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 1/11/23:

"Strike Back! Nations Are Arming

 Themselves To The Teeth! No More War!"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Hold on Tight! - Business is Broken"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly 1/11/23:

"Hold on Tight! - Business is Broken"

"We are watching that business will never be the same. The business models that we want to follow to make a tremendous amount of money are now completely broken."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Bill Bonner, "Cluster Ahead!"

"Cluster Ahead!"

Five major trends combining to make 2023 one heckuva show...

By Bill Bonner

Normandy, France - "Yesterday, we made it sound so simple…so easy to understand. The Fed increases the money supply and prices go up. The Fed cuts back…prices fall. But there’s always more to the story, isn’t there?

The half-word “cluster” comes to mind. It describes the motley crew of incompetent jackasses and interlaced calamities coming our way. Clever readers will notice that the word ”cluster” is usually joined with another word that begins with an ‘f.’ But the use of the f-word is just another, minor part of the phenomenon. And the coarsening of vernacular speech is connected – like a sewer line to a septic tank– to the degeneration of the whole cluster complex.

Yes, speech patterns evolve along with everything else. The meaning of ‘don’t fight the Fed,’ for example, has morphed. From 1982 to 2021, it was instruction on how to make money. Now it is a warning – about how not to lose it. Prices are no longer rising on a tide of the Fed’s easy money. Now, the money supply ebbs…and prices fall.

Aimless Wanderers: But there are other, more important things going on. We can begin to explore them by looking at the painful and sometimes comic election of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. What a spectacle. But it is part of a larger phenomenon – a general weakening and corruption of America’s most important institutions. We have two major political parties. Neither of them has a coherent program or sensible philosophy. Republicans couldn’t agree on Mr. McCarthy because they didn’t know what he stood for…or what they stand for…or whether they were on their feet at all.

We used to rely on Republican (and Democratic) ‘conservatives’ to block the growth of government and hold down spending. But then, in the 21st century, the need disappeared. Why limit spending when money is practically free? The Fed pushed down interest rates so much that Congress could add 500% to federal debt and only increase its debt service payments by 50%.

And so now, Republicans wander aimlessly…with no map…no purpose…no creed…and no plan – which is why they are so easily bamboozled by TV stars like Zelenskyy and Trump. They put on a good show.

And just look at the nation’s politicians. Santos, Biden, McConnell, Pelosi, AOC – they are hacks or frauds…often both. We were not around in the 19th century or the first half of the 20th, but it is hard to believe that the politicos of the period were as dim and dishonest. Those political leaders are the ones most responsible for much of the cluster. Not necessarily for what they did, but what they didn’t do. They didn’t do their jobs. They didn’t protect the public.

5 Major Trends: In addition to the market correction, we see five major trends that come together in a cluster of awful.

1. The continued exploitation of the middle class by the elite, which is why the correction will not be allowed to complete its work.

2. The decline of the American Empire, beginning about 1999.

3. Abandoning the rules, principles and ideas that made the US so successful.

4. A fanatical fear of global warming and a belief that the earth’s climate can be and must be controlled.

5. The unchallenged political power of what Eisenhower called the ‘military, industrial complex.’

Members of Congress could have stopped it. They might, for example, have insisted on balanced budgets. They could have just said ‘no’ to the boondoggles and ‘earmarks’…to war and sanctions abroad…and to runaway claptrap at home. Instead, they not only didn’t balance the budget…they didn’t even pass a budget at all. Instead, they financed the country with ‘continuing resolutions’ and ‘omnibus’ budgets that no human being actually reads.

Fish… Birds.. and Jackasses: With no deficits to finance, the Fed would have had no compelling reason to manipulate interest rates. Federal debt, if left where it was when Bill Clinton moved out of the White House, would be about five and a half trillion, not $31 trillion.

The ‘conservatives’ could have nixed the idea of bailing out Wall Street in 2009…(where would they get the money?)…and opposed lockdowns in the Covid Hysteria of 2020. Instead, the go-along, get-along politicos went along with everything, including Trump’s record $3.1 trillion deficit. This caused the Fed to add nearly $5 trillion in new money to keep up, which is the proximate cause of today’s inflation. (Even China – the world’s top Covid-fighter – eventually realized that détente with the germ was a better policy than active combat.)

But fish gotta swim. Birds gotta fly. And late, degenerate empires gotta get out of the way to make room for the next act. How? In the usual ways – inflation, war, corruption, and delusion, broadly playing out in those 5 trends we listed above. Together, they will destroy the wealth, power and prestige of the United States of America and its citizens. But it will be one heckuva cluster show."

- bonnerprivateresearch@substack.com

"Major Price Increases At Walmart! Not Good! This Is Ridiculous!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 1/11/23:

"Major Price Increases At Walmart!

 Not Good! This Is Ridiculous!"

"In today's vlog we are at Walmart and are noticing major price increases on groceries! With prices on everyday items continuing to rise all around the country, we are searching for the best prices to save people money! It's getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"It Is Our Fate..."

"Well, it is our fate to live in a time of crisis. To live in a time when all forms and values are being challenged. In other and more easy times, it was not, perhaps, necessary for the individual to confront himself with a clear question: What is it that you really believe? What is it that you really cherish? What is it for which you might, actually, in a showdown, be willing to die? I say, with all the reticence which such large, pathetic words evoke, that one cannot exist today as a person, one cannot exist in full consciousness, without having to have a showdown with one's self, without having to define what it is that one lives by, without being clear in one's mind what matters and what does not matter."

- Dorothy Thompson

"We Are All Alone..."

“We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and – in spite of True Romance magazines – we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely – at least, not all the time – but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.”

- Hunter S. Thompson

“If your happiness depends on someone else, then you do have a problem.”

- Richard Bach

"Ok, Doomer"

"Ok, Doomer"

by William Schryver

“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”

- Seneca

"I have struggled in vain for almost a year now to comprehend the frequently expressed fears of potential defeat from a great many Russian observers of this war – as though they are constantly haunted by a sense that inevitable humiliation is lurking in the shadows just ahead, and they’d best prepare themselves accordingly.

The abundantly manifest facts of the ongoing NATO proxy war against Russia, as I have been able to ascertain them, are that Ukraine has now suffered approximately five hundred thousand irretrievable casualties and virtually the entirety of their original inventories of military hardware – the equivalent of ALL the personnel and equipment (both active and reserves) with which they commenced this conflict.

Their military strength was partially reconstituted over the summer of 2022, infused with the best equipment NATO could spare, but which, in both quantity and quality, is simply no longer capable of being replenished.

In addition to this substantial infusion of NATO armaments, several thousand “sheep-dipped” NATO soldiers appeared on the battlefield, mostly in the form of shock troops and technical specialists to operate and maintain the more complex systems such as M-777 howitzers and HIMARS rocket artillery.

This partially rebuilt army has now been effectively wrecked over the course of the previous four months of futile – arguably suicidal – Ukrainian “offensives” against layered Russian defensive lines. We know this to be true because now the Ukrainian high command is desperately begging the west to provide it with yet a third fully equipped army to throw against Russia’s overwhelming firepower.

Meanwhile, here at the start of 2023, Russian combat strength is, by almost every metric, significantly more potent than it was a year ago. On the other side of the balance, NATO quite literally has nothing meaningful left to deliver except the few remaining crumbs of their obsolete equipment, surplus ammunition, and empty promises of future production, which is highly unlikely to ever materialize.

Western #EmpireEvangelists masquerading as “military analysts” continue to speak in terms of extraordinary Ukrainian military prowess and their stunning string of “victories” over the course of this war. They then passionately entreat western governments to dramatically increase deliveries to Ukraine of the means to launch a final decisive offensive that will drive the (allegedly) militarily eviscerated and abjectly humiliated Russians from the Donbass and Crimea.

Indeed, in their most feverish fantasies, they speak of marching to Moscow itself, effecting regime change by force of arms, and then once and for all dividing Russia into multiple vassal states that can then be submissively incorporated into the rapacious “rules-based international order”. And, incomprehensibly, for the perpetually fatalistic Russian doomer class, it seems as though many of these ludicrous chimeras just might be not-so-detached from the realm of possibility.

Whence cometh this irrepressible Slavic fatalism and the inexplicable inferiority complex that quite often accompanies it?

I am not Russian. I am not fluent in the Russian language. I have never been to Russia. I have never even had a Russian friend or acquaintance. But I have been fascinated with Russia since I was a child, and I am modestly knowledgeable of Russian history, and the high achievements of the Russian people over the course of the past several centuries.

From my distant perspective, Russia is a great nation inhabited by extraordinarily intelligent and capable people – albeit one that has repeatedly permitted itself to be deceived and abused by its western cousins, towards whom it has afforded far too much envy for far too many generations.

In my estimation, we are now witnessing what later historians will characterize as Russia’s “finest hour”. Faced with the prospect of submissively yielding to and embracing the demeaning decadence of declining western civilization, a great many in Russia have instead sought to reestablish the cultural guidance of their ancient Orthodox traditions; to reemphasize the family as the fundamental unit of society; to stand boldly independent of the degrading social trajectory of unmoored western “values”.

More significantly and pertinently, Russia has courageously chosen to “stand alone” against what almost everyone on the planet believed to be the indomitable power of the thoroughly corrupted American Empire. Yes, it can perhaps be argued that, in certain respects, Russia’s first steps in that direction were somewhat halting. But because it was audacious enough to take them, it has now attracted to its cause not only the moral support, but increasingly the substantive support of many other powerful nations who are determined to resist the continuation and exploitative expansion of imperial hegemony in their regions of the globe.

It has been said that, more than a physical contest of arms, war is a moral argument. I believe there is substantial merit to this thought. Vladimir Putin, Sergey Lavrov, Dmitry Medvedev, Sergey Glazyev, Aleksandr Dugin, and many other influential Russians have been engaging in that moral argument for many years now.

But in the context of the ongoing NATO / Russia war in Ukraine, I submit that Russia will prevail primarily because its military might and leadership are manifestly superior; its strength and capabilities are greater now than they were a year ago, and are growing month by month; its understanding of the rapidly evolving realities of 21st century warfare has been greatly educated by the events of the preceding year – and, not to be underestimated, I am convinced it will be supported to an ever-increasing degree by China and Iran, both of whom now clearly understand that their existential fortunes are inextricably bound to Russia’s ultimate triumph in the present contest of arms.

From the perspective of this author and observer of events, and notwithstanding the fatalistic and often fearful inclinations of many who call themselves Russians, Russia simply cannot and will not be defeated in this war. Quite to the contrary, I am convinced it will emerge more self-confident, more self-sufficient, and more globally influential than it has ever been."

- https://imetatronink.substack.com/

o

As for us...dated, but so true.

“We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world - a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will judge us... No redeeming social value. Just whores. Get out of our way, or we’ll kill you.

Well, shit on that dumbness. George W. Bush does not speak for me or my son or my mother or my friends or the people I respect in this world. We didn’t vote for these cheap, greedy little killers who speak for America today - and we will not vote for them again in 2002. Or 2004. Or ever.

Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid little rich kids like George Bush?They are the same ones who wanted to have Muhammad Ali locked up for refusing to kill gooks. They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character. They are the racists and hate mongers among us - they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis. And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. F*ck them.”

- Hunter S. Thompson

Judge Napolitano, "Col. Doug Macgregor: Ukraine/Russia Latest"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 1/10/23:

"Col. Doug Macgregor: Ukraine/Russia Latest"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Douglas Macgregor, 1/10/23: 

"150,000 Dead So Far In Russia-Ukraine War!

Maximum Offensive By Russian Army"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com

o

"One source claims that 14,500 wars have taken place between 3500 BC and the late 20th century, costing 3.5 billion lives, leaving only 300 years of peace."

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War

And now, God help us, a final, total nuclear war seems unavoidable. There's something terribly wrong in the human DNA, a murderously deranged blood lust causing us to love war so fiercely. God help us, indeed...

"Everything Is Just Fine; Wells Fargo Cutting Home Loans"

Jeremiah Babe, 1/10/23:

"Everything Is Just Fine; 

Wells Fargo Cutting Home Loans"

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- https://www.youtube.com/

"20 Signs Our Society Is Rapidly Deteriorating All Around Us"

Full screen recommended.

"20 Signs Our Society Is Rapidly

 Deteriorating All Around Us"

by Epic Economist

"Everything seems to be falling off the tracks lately. The housing market is melting down, but home prices continue to skyrocket. Financial markets are in panic mode. Businesses are shuttering a large number of stores, cutting jobs, and struggling to stay afloat, while the average American is seeing the cost of living rise past their purchasing power, at the same time living conditions continue to worsen for many of us. This is one of the craziest economies of all times, and our entire population is paying a hefty price.

How can our society evolve if more than half of its citizens can’t afford somewhere to live? The December Housing Affordability Survey found that 55% of Americans can’t afford to buy a home at current prices and interest rates. Meanwhile, 62% percent of renters are concerned about their ability to pay rent. In fact, a separate survey conducted by rewards app Piñata, a program that works with renters to build their credit and get cash back for paying their rent, found that 30% of US renters have taken out a loan to help pay rent in the past twelve months, and right now, around 15% of them, or about 8 million people, are late on rent as prices continue to soar. This means that many families are at risk of losing their homes as we enter 2023, and unfortunately, the official forecast is that housing will continue to be expensive throughout the entire year.

At the same time, almost 133 million workers make less than $15 an hour, according to a study by Oxfam America, an anti-poverty advocacy group.“It’s shameful that at a time when many US companies are boasting record profits, some of the hardest working people in this country – especially people who keep our economy and society functioning – are struggling to get by and falling behind,” said Kaitlyn Henderson, the study’s author, and senior research adviser at Oxfam America. It’s been almost a decade that wages fail to keep up with the rate of inflation, and as interest rates continue to soar, we will see our purchasing power getting increasingly lower.

No wonder why the latest Gallup poll showed that the vast majority of Americans predict 2023 will bring more economic difficulties such as higher taxes and rampant inflation. Eight in 10 respondents believe taxes will increase along with the federal deficit, while two-thirds of those polled believe prices will rise and the stock market will continue to tumble. Pessimism also extends to politics and world affairs with 90 percent of respondents anticipating domestic political conflict and 85 percent foreseeing a "troubled year with much international discord."Slightly more than half of the respondents expect higher unemployment as well," states the American consulting company.

In essence, we all can feel that something is really wrong with our country. It definitely doesn't feel like we’re in the right direction. Things are taking a turn for the worst in our society, and the implosion of our economy will only make conditions more difficult for all of us. We are literally careening toward disaster, and it seems like no one is going to come for the rescue. Today, we decided to compile several indicators that show why the fabric of our society is being ripped apart before our eyes, and also why so many absurdities are happening right now."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com/

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Related:

"Has American Culture Ever Been 

More Violent Than It Is Right Now?"

Gerald Celente,"In God We Trust? What God Supports War?"

Full screen recommended.

Strong language alert!

Gerald Celente, 1/10/23:

"In God We Trust? What God Supports War?"

- https://trendsjournal.com/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, "Moment of Grace, Part 1"

Full screen recommended.

Liquid Mind, "Moment of Grace, Part 1"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"From our vantage point in the Milky Way Galaxy, we see NGC 6946 face-on. The big, beautiful spiral galaxy is located just 20 million light-years away, behind a veil of foreground dust and stars in the high and far-off constellation of Cepheus. From the core outward, the galaxy's colors change from the yellowish light of old stars in the center to young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions along the loose, fragmented spiral arms.

NGC 6946 is also bright in infrared light and rich in gas and dust, exhibiting a high star birth and death rate. In fact, since the early 20th century at least nine supernovae, the death explosions of massive stars, were discovered in NGC 6946. Nearly 40,000 light-years across, NGC 6946 is also known as the Fireworks Galaxy. This remarkable portrait of NGC 6946 is a composite that includes image data from the 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea.”

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180224.html

"Our True Friends..."

“Our true friends are those who are with us when the good things happen. They cheer us on and are pleased by our triumphs. False friends only appear at difficult times, with their sad, supportive faces, when, in fact, our suffering is serving to console them for their own miserable lives.”

- Paulo Coelho, "The Zahir"

○

"Positively 4th Street"

"What Foolish Forgetfulness..."

“You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, so all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last. You have all the fears of mortals and all the desires of immortals… What foolish forgetfulness of mortality to defer wise resolutions to the fiftieth or sixtieth year, and to intend to begin life at a point to which few have attained.”

- Denis Diderot

Kahlil Gibran, “The Farewell”

“The Farewell”

“Farewell to you and the youth I have spent with you.

It was but yesterday we met in a dream.

You have sung to me in my aloneness,

and I of your longings have built a tower in the sky.

But now our sleep has fled and our dream is over,

and it is no longer dawn.

The noontide is upon us and our half waking has turned to fuller day,

and we must part.

If in the twilight of memory we should meet once more,

we shall speak again together and you shall sing to me a deeper song.

And if our hands should meet in another dream

we shall build another tower in the sky.”

- Kahlil Gibran, “The Prophet”

○

Freely download "The Prophet", by Kahlil Gibran, here:

- http://www.brainybetty.com/

“Thucydides in the Underworld”

“Master, what gnaws at them so hideously their lamentation stuns the very air?” 

“They have no hope of death,” he answered me…” 

- Dante Alighieri, “The Inferno”

“Thucydides in the Underworld”

by J. R. Nyquist

“The shade of Thucydides, formerly an Athenian general and historian, languished in Hades for 24 centuries; and having intercourse with other spirits, was perturbed by an influx into the underworld of self-described historians professing to admire his History of the Peloponnesian War. They burdened him with their writings, priding themselves on the imitation of his method, tracing the various patterns of human nature in politics and war. He was, they said, the greatest historian; and his approval of their works held the promise that their purgatory was no prologue to oblivion.

As the centuries rolled on, the flow of historians into Hades became a torrent. The later historians were no longer imitators, but most were admirers. It seemed to Thucydides that these were a miserable crowd, unable to discern between the significant and the trivial, being obsessed with tedious doctrines. Unembarrassed by their inward poverty, they ascribed an opposite meaning to things: thinking themselves more “evolved” than the spirits of antiquity. Some even imagined that the universe was creating God. They supposed that the “most evolved” among men would assume God’s office; and further, that they themselves were among the “most evolved.”

Thucydides longed for the peace of his grave, which posthumous fame had deprived him. As with many souls at rest, he took no further interest in history. He had passed through existence and was done. He had seen everything. What was bound to follow, he knew, would be more of the same; but after more than 23 centuries of growing enthusiasm for his work, there occurred a sudden falling off. Of the newly deceased, fewer broke in upon him. Quite clearly, something had happened. He began to realize that the character of man had changed because of the rottenness of modern ideas. Among the worst of these, for Thucydides, was that barbarians and civilized peoples were considered equal; that art could transmit sacrilege; that paper could be money; that sexual and cultural differences were of no account; that meanness was rated noble, and nobility mean.

Awakened from the sleep of death, Thucydides remembered what he had written about his own time. The watchwords then, as now, were “revolution” and “democracy.” There had been upheaval on all sides. “As the result of these revolutions,” he had written, “there was a general deterioration of character throughout the Greek world. The simple way of looking at things, which is so much the mark of a noble nature, was regarded as a ridiculous quality and soon ceased to exist. Society had become divided into two ideologically hostile camps, and each side viewed the other with suspicion.”

Thucydides saw that democracy, once again, imagined itself victorious. Once again traditions were questioned as men became enamored of their own prowess. It was no wonder they were deluded. They landed men on the moon. They had harnessed the power of the atom. It was no wonder that the arrogance of man had grown so monstrous, that expectations of the future were so unrealistic. Deluded by recent successes, they could not see that dangers were multiplying in plain view. Men built new engines of war, capable of wiping out entire cities, but few took this danger seriously. Why were men so determined to build such weapons? The leading country, of course, was willing to put its weapons aside. Other countries pretended to put their weapons aside. Still others said they weren’t building weapons at all, even though they were.

Would the new engines of destruction be used? Would cities and nations be wiped off the face of the earth? Thucydides knew the answer. In his own day, during an interval of unstable peace, the Athenians had exterminated the male population of the island of Melos. Before doing this the Athenian commanders had came to Melos and said, “We on our side will use no fine phrases saying, for example, that we have a right to our empire because we defeated the Persians, or that we have come against you now because of the injuries you have done us – a great mass of words that nobody would believe.” The Athenians demanded the submission of Melos, without regard to right or wrong. As the Athenian representative explained, “the strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.” 

The Melians were shocked by this brazen admission. They could not believe that anyone would dare to destroy them without just cause. In the first place, the Melians threatened no one. In the second place, they imagined that the world would be shocked and would avenge any atrocity committed against them. And so the Melians told the Athenians: “in our view it is useful that you should not destroy a principle that is to the general good of all men – namely, that in the case of all who fall into danger there should be such a thing as fair play and just dealing. And this is a principle which affects you as much as anybody, since your own fall would be visited by the most terrible vengeance and would be an example to the world.”

The Athenians were not moved by the argument of Melos; for they knew that the Spartans generally treated defeated foes with magnanimity. “Even assuming that our empire does come to an end,” the Athenians chuckled, “we are not despondent about what would happen next. One is not so much frightened of being conquered by a power like Sparta.” And so the Athenians destroyed Melos, believing themselves safe – which they were. The Melians refused to submit, praying for the protection of gods and men. But these availed them nothing, neither immediate relief nor future vengeance. The Melians were wiped off the earth. They were not the first or the last to die in this manner.

There was one more trend that Thucydides noted. In every free and prosperous country he found a parade of monsters: human beings with oversized egos, with ambitions out of proportion to their ability, whose ideas rather belied their understanding than affirmed it. Whereas, there was one Alcibiades in his own day, there were now hundreds of the like: self-serving, cunning and profane; only they did not possess the skills, or the mental acuity, or beauty of Alcibiades. Instead of being exiled, they pushed men of good sense from the center of affairs. Instead of being right about strategy and tactics, they were always wrong. And they were weak, he thought, because they had learned to be bad by the example of others. There was nothing novel about them, although they believed themselves to be original in all things.

Thucydides reflected that human beings are subject to certain behavioral patterns. Again and again they repeat the same actions, unable to stop themselves. Society is slowly built up, then wars come and put all to ruin. Those who promise a solution to this are charlatans, only adding to the destruction, because the only solution to man is the eradication of man. In the final analysis the philanthropist and the misanthrope are two sides of the same coin. While man exists he follows his nature. Thucydides taught this truth, and went to his grave. His history was written, as he said, “for all time.” And it is a kind of law of history that the generations most like his own are bound to ignore the significance of what he wrote; for otherwise they would not re-enact the history of Thucydides. But as they become ignorant of his teaching, they fall into disaster spontaneously and without thinking. Seeing that time was short, and realizing that a massive number of new souls would soon be entering the underworld, the shade of Thucydides fell back to rest.”

- https://www.financialsense.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Bucklin, Missouri, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"I Can't Convince Myself..."

“I can’t convince myself that it does much good to try to challenge the everyday political delusions and dementias of Americans at large. Their contained and confined mentalities by far prefer the petty and parochial prisons of the kind of sense they have been trained and rewarded for making out of their lives (and are punished for deviating from them). What it costs them ultimately to be such slaves and infants and ideological zombies is a thought too monstrous and rending and spiky for them even to want to glance at.”

- Kenneth Smith

“If you want to tell people the truth,

 make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.”

- Oscar Wilde

"Quotes for Hard Times"

Full screen recommended.

RedFrost Motivation, "Quotes for Hard Times"

Spoken by Peter Revel Walsh

"Col. Douglas MacGregor: Ukraine Is About to be Reduced to Rubble"

"Col. Douglas MacGregor: 

Ukraine Is About to be Reduced to Rubble"

By Chris Black

"Huge new equipment transfers to Ukraine from NATO is bad news for Russia. Whenever the Russians start gaining momentum, USA hands over another 20 or 30 billion in high tech weapons to bring it back to a stalemate. Even if Western Europe can no longer afford to back Ukraine, US can continue, making a diplomatic solution very difficult. Additionally, the US Federal Reserve is taking policy measures to engineer a worldwide economic collapse by mid to late 2023. Part of the motive for this, in my opinion, is to cause trouble for the Russian economy as it will sharply reduce demand for commodities.

“The Russians have decided there is no way to negotiate an end to this. No one will negotiate in good faith; therefore we must crush the enemy. And that’s what’s coming.” Colonel Douglas MacGregor (9:35 minute)

The war in Ukraine is not going to end in a negotiated settlement. The Russians have already made it clear that they don’t trust the United States, so they’re not going to waste their time in a pointless gabfest. What the Russians are going to do is pursue the only option that is available to them: They are going to obliterate the Ukrainian Army, reduce a large part of the country to rubble, and force the political leadership to comply with their security demands."

- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

Douglas Macgregor, "Ukrainian 600,000 Man Army With One Purpose"

Douglas Macgregor, 

"Ukrainian 600,000 Man Army With One Purpose"

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- https://www.youtube.com/