Tuesday, April 9, 2024

"A Look to the Heavens"

“Few butterflies have a wingspan this big. The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth's night sky are often named for flowers or insects, and NGC 6302 is no exception. With an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C, the central star of this particular planetary nebula is exceptionally hot though - shining brightly in ultraviolet light but hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust. 
 Click image for larger size.
This dramatically detailed close-up of the dying star's nebula was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope soon after it was upgraded in 2009. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust torus surrounding the central star is near the center of this view, almost edge-on to the line-of-sight. Molecular hydrogen has been detected in the hot star's dusty cosmic shroud. NGC 6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius).”

The Poet: David Whyte, “The Sea”

“The Sea”

“The pull is so strong we will not believe
the drawing tide is meant for us,
I mean the gift, the sea,
the place where all the rivers meet.

Easy to forget,
how the great receiving depth
untamed by what we need
needs only what will flow its way.
Easy to feel so far away
and the body so old
it might not even stand the touch.

But what would that be like
feeling the tide rise
out of the numbness inside
toward the place to which we go
washing over our worries of money,
the illusion of being ahead,
the grief of being behind,
our limbs young
rising from such a depth?

What would that be like
even in this century
driving toward work with the others,
moving down the roads
among the thousands swimming upstream,
as if growing toward arrival,
feeling the currents of the great desire,
carrying time toward tomorrow?

Tomorrow seen today, for itself,
the sea where all the rivers meet, unbound,
unbroken for a thousand miles, the surface
of a great silence, the movement of a moment
left completely to itself, to find ourselves adrift,
safe in our unknowing, our very own,
our great tide, our great receiving, our
wordless, fiery, unspoken,
hardly remembered, gift of true longing.”

~ David Whyte,
“Where Many Rivers Meet”

"Memento Mori"

"Memento Mori"
by Ryan Holiday

"Were all the geniuses of history to focus on this single theme, they could never fully express their bafflement at the darkness of the human mind. No person hands out their money to passersby, but to how many do each of us hand out our lives! We're tight-fisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers."  - Seneca

Born with a chronic illness that loomed large throughout his life, Seneca was constantly thinking about and writing about the final act of life. "Let us prepare our minds as if we'd come to the very end of life," he said. "Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life's books each day. The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time."

Most interestingly, he quibbled with the idea that death was something that lay ahead of us in the uncertain future. "This is our big mistake," Seneca wrote, "to think we look forward to death. Most of death is already gone. Whatever time has passed is owned by death." That was Seneca's great insight - that we are dying every day and no day, once dead, can be revived.

So we should listen to the command that Marcus gave himself. He wrote,"Concentrate every minute like a Roman on doing what's in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions." The key to this kind of concentration? "Do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life."

That's the power of Memento Mori - of meditating on your mortality. It isn't about being morbid or making you scared. It's about giving you power. It's to inspire, to motivate, to clarify, to concentrate like a Roman on the thing in front of you. Because it may well be the last thing you do in your life.

The Stoics were philosophers, but more than that they were doers. They didn't have room for big words or big ideas, just stuff that made you better right here, right now. As Marcus Aurelius said: "Justice, honesty, self-control, courage, don't make room for anything but it - for anything that might lead you astray, tempt you off the road, and leave you unable to devote yourself completely to achieving the goodness that is uniquely yours."

"Be Like The Bird..."

"What matter if this base, unjust life
Cast you naked and disarmed?
If the ground breaks beneath your step,
Have you not your soul?
Your soul! You fly away,
Escape to realms refined,
Beyond all sadness and whimpering.
Be like the bird which on frail branches balanced
A moment sits and sings;
He feels them tremble, but he sings unshaken,
Knowing he has wings."

– Victor Hugo

"Isochronic Tones: Cognition Enhancer For Clearer and Faster Thinking"

"Isochronic Tones:
Cognition Enhancer For Clearer and Faster Thinking"
by Jason Lewis

“Headphones Recommended – Note: As this session stimulates each ear with different frequencies, you will need to use headphones to experience the full effect. Alternative background sounds available on Mp3 here: Orchestral, Hybrid, World Music, Rain, Brown Noise.

What does this track do? This session stimulates Beta, SMR and Alpha, alternating in 2 minute increments to help keep the user relaxed and engaged. Note: SMR (sensorimotor rhythm) relates to the frequency range between 12 – 15Hz. It’s associated with sensory processing and motor control. Stimulating this can result in relaxed focus and improved attention. This session is meant to speed up the brain while keeping the left hemisphere dominant (good for attention, concentration and reducing emotional response and hyperactivity). ADD and similar disorders are often characterized by “slow-wave” EEG patterns, particularly in the left frontal region. As such, this session stimulates the left brain hemisphere with Beta frequencies and the right with SMR.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Who should NOT listen to this audio? Those who should not listen to this video/audio include: Those who are prone to or have had seizures, epilepsy, pregnant or wear a pacemaker should NOT listen to this video/audio.
WHY? There is insufficient research data in this area, so as a precaution, if you are among the categories listed above, I would recommend you consult a doctor or medical professional before listening to this video/audio.”
Comments here:
o
Look folks, this isn't some stupid melodrama. Whether you want to know it or not we're in the fight of our lives, for our lives. Some of you reading this will not survive, and I may not either, so I'll take any edge I can get, and you should too. The more you're aware the better prepared you can be. This works...I strongly encourage it's use...- CP

“The History of the Middle Finger”

“The History of the Middle Finger”
by pappy

“Well, now… here’s something I never knew before, and now that I know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends in the hope that they, too, will feel edified.

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as ‘plucking the yew’ (or ‘pluck yew’).

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and they began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, “See, we can still pluck yew!” Since ‘pluck yew’ is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentalfricative ‘F’, and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as ‘giving the bird.’ And now you know..."

The Daily "Near You?"

Hartstown, Pennsylvania, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Gregory Mannarino, "AM/PM 4/9/24"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 4/9/24
"What You Need To Know Now! 
Stay On The Right Side Of This Thing We're In"
Comments here:
o
Gregory Mannarino, PM 4/9/24
"Expect Resource Shortages And Much Higher Prices; 
They WILL Extort Us To Death"

"Nine Meals from Anarchy"

"Nine Meals from Anarchy"
by Jeff Thomas

"In 1906, Alfred Henry Lewis stated, “There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy.” Since then, his observation has been echoed by people as disparate as Robert Heinlein and Leon Trotsky. The key here is that, unlike all other commodities, food is the one essential that cannot be postponed. If there were a shortage of, say, shoes, we could make do for months or even years. A shortage of gasoline would be worse, but we could survive it, through mass transport or even walking, if necessary.

But food is different. If there were an interruption in the supply of food, fear would set in immediately. And, if the resumption of the food supply were uncertain, the fear would become pronounced. After only nine missed meals, it’s not unlikely that we’d panic and be prepared to commit a crime to acquire food. If we were to see our neighbor with a loaf of bread, and we owned a gun, we might well say, “I’m sorry, you’re a good neighbor and we’ve been friends for years, but my children haven’t eaten today – I have to have that bread – even if I have to shoot you.”

There’s no need to speculate on this concern yet. There’s nothing so alarming on the evening news yet to suggest that such a problem might be imminent. So, let’s have a closer look at the actual food distribution industry, compare it to the present direction of the economy, and see whether there might be reason for concern.

The food industry typically operates on very small margins – often below 2%. Traditionally, wholesalers and retailers have relied on a two-week turnaround of supply and anywhere up to a 30-day payment plan. But an increasing tightening of the economic system for the last eight years has resulted in a turnaround time of just three days for both supply and payment for many in the industry. This a system that’s still fully operative, but with no further wiggle room, should it take a significant further hit.

If there were a month where significant inflation took place (The Feds lie say 9.1%; really now at least 17%), all profits would be lost for the month for both suppliers and retailers, but goods could still be replaced and sold for a higher price next month. But, if there were three or more consecutive months of inflation, the industry would be unable to bridge the gap, even if better conditions were expected to develop in future months. A failure to pay in full for several months would mean smaller orders by those who could not pay. That would mean fewer goods on the shelves. The longer the inflationary trend continued, the more quickly prices would rise to hopefully offset the inflation. And ever-fewer items on the shelves.

From Germany in 1922, to Argentina in 2000, and to Venezuela in 2016, this has been the pattern whenever inflation has become systemic, rather than sporadic. Each month, some stores close, beginning with those that are the most poorly capitalized.

In good economic times, this would mean more business for those stores that were still solvent, but in an inflationary situation, they would be in no position to take on more unprofitable business. The result is that the volume of food on offer at retailers would decrease at a pace with the severity of the inflation.

However, the demand for food would not decrease by a single loaf of bread. Store closings would be felt most immediately in inner cities, when one closing would send customers to the next neighborhood seeking food. The real danger would come when that store also closes and both neighborhoods descended on a third store in yet another neighborhood. That’s when one loaf of bread for every three potential purchasers would become worth killing over. Virtually no one would long tolerate seeing his children go without food because others had “invaded” his local supermarket.

In addition to retailers, the entire industry would be impacted and, as retailers disappeared, so would suppliers, and so on, up the food chain. This would not occur in an orderly fashion, or in one specific area. The problem would be a national one. Closures would be all over the map, seemingly at random, affecting all areas. Food riots would take place, first in the inner cities then spread to other communities. Buyers, fearful of shortages, would clean out the shelves.

Importantly, it’s the very unpredictability of food delivery that increases fear, creating panic and violence. And, again, none of the above is speculation; it’s a historical pattern – a reaction based upon human nature whenever systemic inflation occurs.

Then… unfortunately… the cavalry arrives. At that point, it would be very likely that the central government would step in and issue controls to the food industry that served political needs rather than business needs, greatly exacerbating the problem. Suppliers would be ordered to deliver to those neighborhoods where the riots are the worst, even if those retailers are unable to pay. This would increase the number of closings of suppliers.

Along the way, truckers would begin to refuse to enter troubled neighborhoods, and the military might well be brought in to force deliveries to take place. (If truckers could afford $4.54 a gallon diesel fuel.)

So, what would it take for the above to occur? Well, historically, it has always begun with excessive debt. We know that the debt level is now the highest it has ever been in world history. (US debt as of April 9, 2024 $34,640,946,506,872. World debt as of February 2024: $313 trillion, 336% of GDP) In addition, the stock and bond markets are in bubbles of historic proportions. They will most certainly pop.

With a crash in the markets, deflation always follows as people try to unload assets to cover for their losses. The Federal Reserve (and other central banks) has stated that it will unquestionably print as much money as it takes to counter deflation. Unfortunately, inflation has a far greater effect on the price of commodities than assets. Therefore, the prices of commodities will rise dramatically, further squeezing the purchasing power of the consumer, thereby decreasing the likelihood that he will buy assets, even if they’re bargain priced. Therefore, asset holders will drop their prices repeatedly as they become more desperate. The Fed then prints more to counter the deeper deflation and we enter a period when deflation and inflation are increasing concurrently.
Historically, when this point has been reached, no government has ever done the right thing. They have, instead, done the very opposite – keep printing. A by-product of this conundrum is reflected in the photo above. Food still exists, but retailers shut down because they cannot pay for goods. Suppliers shut down because they’re not receiving payments from retailers. Producers cut production because sales are plummeting.

In every country that has passed through such a period, the government has eventually gotten out of the way and the free market has prevailed, re-energizing the industry and creating a return to normal. The question is not whether civilization will come to an end. (It will not.) The question is the liveability of a society that is experiencing a food crisis, as even the best of people are likely to panic and become a potential threat to anyone who is known to store a case of soup in his cellar.

Fear of starvation is fundamentally different from other fears of shortages. Even good people panic. In such times, it’s advantageous to be living in a rural setting, as far from the centre of panic as possible. It’s also advantageous to store food in advance that will last for several months, if necessary. However, even these measures are no guarantee, as, today, modern highways and efficient cars make it easy for anyone to travel quickly to where the goods are. The ideal is to be prepared to sit out the crisis in a country that will be less likely to be impacted by dramatic inflation – where the likelihood of a food crisis is low and basic safety is more assured."

"Food Shortages, Price Increases, & Items That Are Disappearing! It's Getting Ugly!"

Dan, I Allegedly, PM 4/9/24
"Food Shortages, Price Increases, & Items
 That Are Disappearing! It's Getting Ugly!"
It's getting ugly as we continue to see items disappear from grocery shelves. More food shortages and price increases are coming, and what we all need to do to prepare accordingly!
Comments here:

Dan, I Allegedly, "Here Come the Layoffs"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 4/9/24
"Here Come the Layoffs"
"Sometimes a bad idea travels fast. The twenty dollar per hour wage for fast food workers has been an infectious mess for a lot of businesses. Now , here come the layoffs."
Comments here:

"How It Really Is"

Fastest going to Hell more like it...

"The Barbarians Have Taken The Institutions"

"The Barbarians Have Taken The Institutions"
by Paul Rosenberg

"Let’s be honest about something: We in the West have been overrun by a tidal wave of racial hatred, and it erupted from institutions “of higher learning.” Whatever exceptions may exist, this central fact is clear. We are free to close our eyes, of course, but when we choose to see, this is what stands in front of us.

What has been taught in the universities, and most powerfully in “elite” universities, bore a bumper crop of poisoned fruit. On top of that, the universities have both complied with and defended this barbarity.

Regardless of the fact that a few decent, humane academics still exist (and God bless them), the universities have spawned racial hate, defended it, and are unrepentant. They can no longer be taken seriously by adults. They have become fonts of barbarity.

The Prime Directive of Our Time: I’ve been carefully observing popular culture (and especially the American wing of it) since the 1970s, and I can identify its central demand: Man may not be seen as a noble being. (“Man” meaning mankind, of course.) That has been the real prime directive of the past half-century. Prior to our era (and I’m old enough to have seen some of it), mankind was often held to be noble and dignified. And it showed throughout the culture.

How and why that was beaten out of the culture is a long story; suffice it to say that the most recent part involved a “long march through the institutions” by socialist types. Western civilization had plenty of flaws, of course – every civilization has them – but this long march has not been an effort to repair things; it’s been a concerted effort to tear down… to slash and burn.

Bear in mind also that these barbarians have nothing of substance to replace what they’ve torn down. Socialism is the most discredited ideology in human history; no informed adult could overlook its death toll (100 million), it’s arrogant and stupid reliance on remaking human nature, and its bizarrely ignorant economics. Their other offerings like Deconstruction are self-contradictory on their face.

To put it succinctly, what the new lords of the institutions have to offer is anti-mind, anti-human and ultimately very deadly.

The Proof That Is Cancel Culture: By this point we’ve all seen people lose their jobs, nearly lose their jobs and be shoved off the public stage for the crime of being ideologically impure. What I’d like you to remember is this:

Cancel culture would never work unless the institutions and companies who did the firing hadn’t already been taken by the barbarians. I used to employ people, and if someone had come to me and said, “Your man Taylor up-voted a misogynistic post on Facebook, you must fire him,” there is no way I would have done it. (I once fired someone for assaulting a woman, but that’s a very different thing.) Cancel culture, in the darkest Maoist tradition, is malice cloaked in ideological purity.

Make no mistake, the backers of cancel culture, from the street to the board room, are barbarians. They get off on punishing people. And let me make this point very clearly: Those who justify hate with dense philosophical nonsense are the same ones who will, further down that path, order killings in the name of purity. Such are the people who currently control the institutions. If not, cancel culture couldn’t exist.

These institutions are lost and will not be recovered. It’s time to drop them and to start rebuilding Western civilization directly. The good life requires us to be the responsible and reliable parties. All else are dreams of something for nothing, and we can no longer avoid the bitter fruit they bear.

Judge Napolitano, "Col. Douglas Macgregor: Is WW III Here?"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom. 4/9/24
"Col. Douglas Macgregor: Is WW III Here?"
Comments here:

Bill Bonner, "An Event That Will Seal America's Fate"

"An Event That Will Seal America's Fate"
Absent a dramatic course correction, US debt will reach 130% of GDP during the next presidential term. When that happens there is no further chance of an “intentional” resolution of the debt problem.
by Bill Bonner

"I got plenty of arms!! Big arms!! Pretty arms!!
 I got arms up the wazoo!"
- General Rancor, "Spy Hard"

Dublin, Ireland - "Bloomberg: 'G-7 Faces a $10 Trillion Reckoning as the World Races to Re-Arm.' The US and its allies are just starting to come to terms with the vast increase in defense spending required to counterbalance the militaries of Russia and China. Re-arm? When did it dis-arm? When was it un-armed? The US firepower industry has gotten more and more money - in real terms - since Eisenhower cut the military budget after WWII. And now, as expected, the whole world races to ‘gun up.’

Whatever else might go wrong, here come the most predictable crises ever – war and bankruptcy. Last fall, the Congressional Budget Office was asked to estimate the growth in US debt. It was not an idle question. Studies done by Hirschmann Capital and others, showed that when government debt reached 130% of GDP it always - with one exception - led to a major crash, depression, revolution, default, bankruptcy, hyperinflation or some other calamity.

Colleague Dan Denning elaborates: "Hirschmann Capital showed that since 1800, in 51 out of 52 countries where the debt-to-GDP ratio was greater than 130%, the result was either an outright default, a devaluation of the currency, or a de-facto default in the form of chronic inflation to deal with the high debt levels. The one exception in that study was Japan. Its debt-to-GDP ratio has been sky-high for decades as it experimented with monetary policy. Why Japan did not suffer, like so many other nations that hit the 130% mark, is a much-debated issue. Dan asked Marc Faber about it yesterday. You can listen to our latest Private Briefing soon.

[Ed note: Private Briefings are interviews the BPR team does with outside experts and analysts. They are published periodically, as videos with transcripts, to paying subscribers. Our latest Private Briefing, with Dr. Marc Faber of The Gloom, Boom, and Doom Report, will be published later this week.]

Of course, when the US will hit 130% debt/GDP is also a matter of debate and speculation. The Congressional Budget Office put it right around 2033... giving us a few years’ grace before the disaster becomes unavoidable
The Penn Wharton Budget Model suggests we will hit the 130% level a little sooner, as soon as 2030 if interest rates are 250 basis points higher than in their baseline model. The baseline model tells us that if something doesn’t change (interest rates stay the same, spending isn’t cut, taxes aren’t raised), total debt-to-GDP will reach 188% by 2050 (it’s 310% of GDP by 2050 in the ‘worse-case’ scenario).

Our own model presumes that an intervening recession, more arms up the wazoo, or another trumped up emergency will provide cover for the feds to borrow even more than these projections foretell. Ours is a high-confidence guess that we will hit the 130% point-of-no-return before 2028... that is, before the end of the next presidential term.

That is why this election is not just another presidential beauty contest, in which voters choose between two doddering old fools based on their positions on abortion, immigration, silicon chips, or homelessness. In this election, there is something more at stake. And neither of the two leading candidates has any idea of what it is or what to do about it. Most likely, this is the election that will seal America’s fate.

Unless there is a dramatic course correction... US debt will reach 130% of GDP during the next presidential term. When that happens there is no further chance of an “intentional” resolution of the debt problem. Like a ship that has lost power, the captain can give all the orders he wants... it won’t make any difference; he has no control over where it goes.

Captain Donald steered this boat from 2016 to 2020... and Captain Joe was at the helm from 2021 to 2024. In terms of temperament and style the voters couldn’t ask for two more different candidates. Joe Biden is a go-along, get-along, slick professional politician. He can be counted on to stick with the talking points on his teleprompter... carefully avoiding any original idea or honest thought. He will keep the money flowing... just as he always has.

A ‘low interest’ guy: Donald Trump is another matter. He is not afraid to say what he thinks, which can be refreshing. Trouble is, he doesn’t think very much. He believes that life is essentially a battle in which you win by making the other side lose. And he is so confident in his own instincts, he has never taken the time to develop coherent ideas about how the world works.

Sometimes, his instincts are decent. In a recent interview, for example, he called on Israel to ‘stop killing people.’ And his limitations may be a blessing; as former national security advisor John Bolton put it, Donald Trump “doesn’t have the brains” to be a dictator.

But he has plenty of I.Q. to ruin the country with debt. His experience as a leveraged property speculator, refinancing his real estate and counting on higher prices, made him a “low interest guy.” When he got to the White House in 2017 the Fed Funds rate was under 1%. Still, he wanted even lower interest rates, believing they would spur the economy. The lower rates brought more profits to Wall Street and developers, but left the country with even more debt.

Always a fan of big government, Trump was never a conservative. He knows what he likes and doesn’t see anything wrong with using the power of government to get it. Which may be the answer to the question: If Donald Trump really were a ‘disrupter’... and there really were a ‘Deep State’... how come it allows him into the White House, not just once... but perhaps twice? If it really exists... and if Donald Trump really poses a risk... surely the Deep State could do a better job of stopping him?

Maybe there is no conscious ‘Deep State.’ Or maybe Trump is no threat to it. He showed himself willing to do its bidding, locking down the entire US in 2020. And while he was president, he added a record $6.7 trillion to US debt - nearly as much as the entire accumulated debt up to 2004. In a way, Trump is such a perfect alternative candidate for the Deep State… gathering dissenters behind him and leading them down a dead-end road.

Will either Trump or Biden change course? Not a chance. And US debt will probably exceed the 130%-of-GDP trigger before the end of his term. Which is to say, whichever of the front runners you vote for, you lose.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at the back runner, RFK, Jr."

Total world debtt to GDP is 336% as of April, 2024...

“When all else fails, they take you to war, If we don't stop this now, if 
adults don't become adults, it's over...World War III has already begun."
- Gerald Celente

Monday, April 8, 2024

"Fast Food Chain Layoffs Begin, As Thousands Are Losing Their Jobs!"

Full screen recommended.
The Atlantis Report, 4/8/24
"Fast Food Chain Layoffs Begin, 
As Thousands Are Losing Their Jobs!"
"The fast food industry is currently undergoing a major shift that is causing many layoffs for crew members and managers across the country. Many workers are losing their jobs as corporations try to cut costs, streamline operations, and adjust to changing consumer habits. This is happening across all sorts of fast food chains, including burger joints, chicken restaurants, and taco bells. Unfortunately, this often means sacrificing the very workers who helped build these multi-billion dollar businesses. Today, we will examine what's really going on and the factors driving these layoffs."
Comments here:

Jeremiah Babe, "Jamie Dimon's Ominous Warning"

Jeremiah Babe, 4/8/24
"Jamie Dimon's Ominous Warning: Interest Rates Going Up; 
US To Sanction China"
Comments here:

Musical Interlude: Mike Oldfield, "Tubular Bells, Finale"

Mike Oldfield, "Tubular Bells, Finale"

"A Gift..."

“The life you have left is a gift. Cherish it.
Enjoy it now, to the fullest. Do what matters, now.”
~ Leo Babauta

"A Bonus Musical Interlude From Long Ago: Friend & Lover, "Reach Out Of The Darkness"

Friend & Lover, "Reach Out Of The Darkness"
You know, sometimes you stumble upon a little gem on YouTube you'd completely forgotten about, like this song from 1968, and that made me think, OMG, 56 years ago?! Is that possible? I remember it well, really liked it then, and now it makes me smile and shake my head in wonder. What a long strange trip it's been...lol. Cherish life, folks...  - CP

"A Look to the Heavens"

“Massive stars, abrasive winds, mountains of dust, and energetic light sculpt one of the largest and most picturesque regions of star formation in the Local Group of Galaxies. Known as N11, the region is visible on the upper right of many images of its home galaxy, the Milky Way neighbor known as the Large Magellanic Clouds (LMC).


The above image was taken for scientific purposes by the Hubble Space Telescope and reprocessed for artistry by an amateur to win the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures competition. Although the section imaged above is known as NGC 1763, the entire N11 emission nebula is second in LMC size only to 30 Doradus. Studying the stars in N11 has shown that it actually houses three successive generations of star formation. Compact globules of dark dust housing emerging young stars are also visible around the image.”

“Requiem for a Ladybug”

“Requiem for a Ladybug”
by Frankly Francis

“You lie still less than a foot away on top of the soft mouse pad that protects me from carpal tunnel syndrome. I noticed this morning, through eyes not yet clarified by my first coffee of the day, your presence in my study. Odd, I thought, that you would even be present now. It is certainly past your time of the year in these parts.

I had the presence of mind to reckon that your life must be short. Rather than remove you from my space, both physical and mental, I decided that if these were your final moments then my study could be your Hospice and I your companion.

Your flight and movement were a little chaotic, seemingly random. You nestled in the heat of the light in the globe of my desk lamp, you circled my cranium, you landed in various spots, and in and on various objects on my desk while I got about the business of the day.

Sometimes I could see you, other times I did not know where you were. Then you would rise again to a new location. I wondered if you had any purpose in this, if there was more going on than my conscious programming allowed me to realize.

Perhaps it was, in your reality, some last business to be done? Or perhaps a ritual of your species’ existence? I hoped that if there is any pleasure in being a Ladybug that it was satisfying in some way, even so far from your natural habitat. Then you landed on your final resting spot and moved no more.

For me, my study is a place of many good things. I hope in your last moments it was to you as well. Rest in Peace my little Ladybug. And thanks for reminding me of the preciousness and fragility of life.”

"Relax..."

"Relax. They're not going to kill us. They're going to
TRY and kill us. And that is a very different thing."
 - Steve Voake, "The Dreamwalker's Child"

Dan, I Allegedly, "Now You Can’t Close"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 4/8/24
"Now You Can’t Close"
"This is almost unbelievable. Politicians in northern California wanna make it so 
that grocery stores are not allowed to close without six months notice. True insanity."
Comments here:

Judge Napolitano, "Larry Johnson: Israel Provoking Wider War"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 4/8/24
"Larry Johnson: Israel Provoking Wider War"
Comments here:
o
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 4/8/24
"Alastair Crooke: Western Thinking About War"
Comments here:

"Infectious Insanity"

"Infectious Insanity"
by Jeff Thomas

"In any country, during prosperous times, the great majority of people go to work each day with the understanding that productivity results in an improved life. Even for those of humble means, the existence of prosperity around them is a daily assurance that, if you work hard and/or work smart, your life will steadily improve.

This is the normal state of affairs and has existed since time immemorial. Whether progress is quick or slow in a given location, the principle remains the same. A general condition of prosperity is a continual reminder of the value of a strong work ethic.

In a collectivist country, however, this is missing. The leaders live quite well, but they’re small in number and, for the most part, are outside of the view of the proletariat. What the common man sees around him is uniform poverty. No one in his midst is visibly progressing, so there’s no one to be jealous of.

This breeds complacency and so it’s not surprising that collectivism may be tolerated by the populace for many decades, even generations. People are invariably worse off under collectivism, but collectivism rarely ends due to rebellion. It ends because it’s a dysfunctional non-productive system that eventually collapses under its own weight.

But, if that’s so – if people living in a free-market system will instinctively reject collectivism and those living under a collectivist system also rarely rebel – how is it possible that, periodically, revolutions occur?

Why might the people of, say, the US, have been staunch supporters of a free-market system half a century ago and now be demonstrating a dramatically increased belief in collectivism? How is it even possible that political candidates with no experience in either politics or leadership positions be elected to Congress by promising collectivism?

Well that’s occurring for the same reason that it has occurred throughout history. The US no longer lives under a free-market system. Roughly one hundred years ago, the free market began to be replaced with corporatism. As corporatism increasingly bled the populace, the opportunity for personal prosperity declined. Over time, the average person was seeing less and less evidence of prosperity around him. At this point, he’s viewing corporate leaders enjoying unimaginable wealth, whilst those around him are experiencing stagnation. Real wages have not increased in decades.

Historically, it’s at this point that a people are ripe for the empty promises of collectivism. And collectivists happily provide it. Although they occasionally promise to raise the proletariat up to the level of their economic betters, for the most part, they focus on the promise that they’ll bring the aristocracy down.

The selling of the idea of collectivism is based upon envy and resentment toward those who are better off than we may be. Collectivist leaders invariably accuse anyone who has prospered as being "greedy" and having "starved the poor" in order to achieve their relative wealth. Although this is rarely accurate, it’s a great sales pitch, as those who have learned that their lives are not progressing are actively seeking an explanation and are ripe for one that blames those who have progressed.

The key here is that collectivism almost never sells well in a country where prosperity exists. In a free-market country, a strong work ethic is regularly rewarded. However, once the free market has deteriorated enough that the proletariat have come to understand that they’re not genuinely moving forward, they’re ready to jump on board with those leaders who appeal to their frustration and anger. At this point, logic and reason cease to be important. What matters is rhetoric.

Once a people have concluded that prosperity is not truly in their future, they must choose between hopelessness and empty promises. This is an important point, because human nature will always dictate that they choose empty promises. Left with no real hope, false hope is infinitely preferable to no hope.

Collectivism in the US began in the 1930s and was expanding nicely, when it was interrupted by World War II. The productivity of creating the goods of war for the European Allies sent the US into a period of dramatic productivity. This continued after the war, but in the 1960s, the effort to increase government’s control of production was renewed until, today, the wet blanket of government has become so heavy that prosperity has been minimized and the US is in a condition of stagnation.

And so, Americans are ripe for empty promises, and the younger the American (i.e., the less memory he has of the former prosperity), the more believable the empty promises seem to be.

Young Americans today are disinclined to daydream about a home with a white picket fence, a single wage earner, and a wife at home with three well-adjusted children. That dream sold well to their grandparents, but their grandparents witnessed people all around them achieving that dream, so it was clearly attainable if they were prepared to work for it.

Today’s young American sees this as hopeless. He’d like to be a billionaire like Jeff Bezos, but that clearly isn’t going to happen. So, he might as well not try. His country has entered into eternal warfare, the government is broke, and he can’t even open a lemonade stand without applying for government permits and inspections. At this point, it’s very unlikely that 1950s-style rhetoric of "Make America Great Again" will have any appeal to him whatever.

What is appealing is the promise that even if he makes no effort whatever, even if he remains in his parents’ basement for the rest of his life, unemployed, there’s a new political movement out there that understands him. And it’s a breath of fresh air. It promises a life free from worry and effort. A free healthcare system, free college for as long as he wishes to be enrolled, and most importantly, a guaranteed living wage without the need to earn it. In addition, instead of feeling worthless, his belief in the new collectivism gives him the ability to "stand for something." He may now see himself as "making a difference."

Only five years ago, Americans would have said that this would not have been possible. Leftist crackpots have always existed, but no one took them seriously. Surely, this would never come to pass in the US. But recently, that’s been changing. Some candidates who have received the greatest support have been those who offer absurdly empty collectivist promises, and the media (whether they endorse them or not) are shining a spotlight on them every day.

The rhetoric has been classical collectivist propaganda. As impossible as it might be to actually work, it does absolutely appeal. It’s therefore spreading rapidly. I term this rhetoric, "infectious insanity" – a harsh term but, I think, an apt one. In my belief, this will spread much as Bolshevism did after 1917, like a particularly virulent skin rash. Historically, it’s always been true that, when prosperity has ceased to be readily visible in a nation, the false hope of collectivism becomes the drug of choice."

The Daily "Near You?"

Birmingham, United Kingdom. Thanks for stopping by!

"Doomsday..."

"Doomsday is quite within our reach, 
if we will only stretch for it.”
- Loudon Wainwright III

"Why US Public Debt Is Unsustainable And Is Destroying The Middle Class" (Excerpt)

"Why US Public Debt Is Unsustainable 
And Is Destroying The Middle Class"
by Daniel Lacalle

Excerpt: "In a recent tweet, a talented financial analyst and investor stated: “The “debt is unsustainable” narrative has been around for 40 years plus. What’s astonishing to me is how the people who push this narrative never ask themselves, “Why has it been sustainable for so long?”.

There is a widespread idea that the fiscal imbalances of a world reserve currency issuer would end in an Argentina-style bankruptcy. However, the manifestation of unsustainability did not even appear as drastic in Argentina itself. Hey, Argentina continues to exist, doesn’t it?

Excessive public debt is unsustainable when it becomes a burden on productive growth and leads the economy to constantly rising taxes, weaker productivity growth, and weaker real wage growth. However, the level of unsustainable accumulation of debt may continue to rise because the state itself imposes public debt on banks’ balance sheets and the state forces the financial sector to take all its debt as the “lowest risk asset.” However, law and regulation have merely imposed and forced this construct. Rising debt bloats the government’s size in the economy and erodes its growth and productivity potential.

Many diabetic and obese people continue to eat too much unhealthy food, thinking nothing has happened so far. That does not mean their eating habits are sustainable.

Those who ignore the accumulation of public debt tend to do so under the idea that nothing has happened yet. This is a reckless way of looking at the economy, a sort of “we have not killed ourselves yet; let us accelerate” mentality.

An ever-weaker private sector, weak real wages, declining productivity growth, and the currency’s diminishing purchasing power all indicate the unsustainability of debt levels. It becomes increasingly difficult for families and small businesses to make ends meet and pay for essential goods and services, while those who already have access to debt and the public sector smile in contentment. Why? Because the accumulation of public debt is printing money artificially."
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