"A Look to the Heavens"

 “To some, the outline of the open cluster of stars M6 resembles a butterfly. M6, also known as NGC 6405, spans about 20 light-years and lies about 2,000 light years distant. M6 can best be seen in a dark sky with binoculars towards the constellation of Scorpius, coving about as much of the sky as the full moon. 

Like other open clusters, M6 is composed predominantly of young blue stars, although the brightest star is nearly orange. M6 is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like M6 helps astronomers calibrate the distance scale of the universe.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110906.html

Chet Raymo, “New Philosophy”

“New Philosophy”

by Chet Raymo

"It is one of Albert Einstein's most-often quoted quotes: "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible." Is the world comprehensible? Apparently at least partially so. Consider the NASA solar eclipse atlas I referenced previously. It is possible to calculate the precise locations and times for solar eclipses thousands of years into the future and past. That's comprehensibility for you.

Of course, there are still things we do not comprehend, such as consciousness or the development of organisms, but there is no good reason to suppose those things are intrinsically beyond human understanding. The whole of modern technological civilization and medicine is a monument to comprehensibility.

Why? Why this strange consonance between the world and the human mind? For centuries the answer was simple. God created a world of space and time, a finite mirror, so to speak, of his own intelligence. He created humans in his own likeness. Human intelligence partook of the intelligibility of God. Everything in the closed, human-centered cosmos was ordered in his likeness. The world was comprehensible because it was made that way - for us to comprehend.

Then, in the 16th and 17th centuries, came the great disruption, which Alexandre Koryé described in his seminal 1957 book "From the Closed World To the Infinite Universe." Daring thinkers resurrected the Greek idea that the universe might be infinite in extent and eternal in duration - no boundaries in space, no beginning or end in time. It was a radical thought, heretical really, but it meshed well with what the astronomers and physicists were learning about the world we live in. As the poet John Donne wrote:

    "And new philosophy calls all in doubt,
    The element of fire is quite put out,
    The sun is lost, and th' earth, and no man's wit
    Can well direct him where to look for it.
    And freely men confess that this world's spent,
    When in the planets and the firmament
    They seek so many new; they see that this
    Is crumbled out again to his atomies.
    'Tis all in pieces, all coherence gone,
    All just supply, and all relation."

Of course, it wasn't as bad as all that. Galileo and Newton provided a new coherence. The physical world itself took on two characteristics of the Godhead - omnipresence and everlasting life. Everything unfolded not in accordance with the divine will, but according to eternal and immutable laws of nature. The Divine Artifex, master craftsman, in Koyré's words, was replaced by the Dieu fainéant, a lazybones God with nothing to do. And the comprehensibility of the world became- well, as Einstein said- incomprehensible. But...things were about to get more complicated. 

Koyré's "From the Closed World To the Infinite Universe" was published in 1957. When I started teaching college in 1964, the required reading for my general studies science course included two articles by two prominent physicists published in "Scientific American" at about the same time as Koyré's book. George Gamow, a principal architect of the big bang theory, made the case for a universe that began billions of years ago as an explosion from an infinitely dense and infinitely small seed of energy. Fred Hoyle, stalwart champion of the steady state theory, took the stand for an infinite universe with no beginning and no end, in which matter is continuously created in the space between the galaxies.

Both theories had strengths and weaknesses. For example, the big bang successfully accounted for the known abundances of hydrogen and helium in the universe but posited an embarrassing beginning that could not be explained. The steady state theory avoided the stumbling block of a universe that seemed to come from nowhere but replaced it with many little unexplained beginnings (those particles of matter appearing continuously from nothing). Yet the big bang theory made one prediction that was testable: if the universe began in a blaze of luminosity, a degraded remnant of that radiation should still permeate the cosmos, and the precise spectral distribution of this microwave-frequency background could be calculated.

Then, that very year I started teaching, the cosmic microwave background radiation was serendipitously discovered by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, with precisely the predicted spectrum, a triumph of comprehensibility. The universe- space and time- had an apparent beginning! For some people, this extraordinary development re-opened the door to a creator God, whose intelligence is the source for the intelligibility of the world. Koyré may have anticipated this. In his final paragraph he wrote: "The infinite Universe of the New Cosmology, infinite in Duration as well as in Extension, in which eternal matter in accordance with external and necessary laws moves endlessly and aimlessly in eternal space, inherited all the ontological attributes of Divinity. Yet only those - all the others the departed God took away with Him."

What others? Personhood. Love. Justice. And intelligence. Intelligence that is the source of the intelligibility of the world.

But for Einstein, and many of us here, the mathematical singularity which is the big bang is an opaque barrier. To say the universe is created by God conveys no more information than to say it is created by X. We learned to live without Koyré's Dieu fainéant, the lazybones God who had nothing to do, and see no reason to bring him out of retirement. So why is the universe comprehensible?

There are reasonable arguments for the incomprehensibility of human consciousness, and some of them were given here the other day in Comments. Let me offer arguments for the contrary.

First, one very important feature of consciousness has already been comprehended. We can say with a high degree of confidence that there is no ghost in the machine, that consciousness is an emergent physio-chemical property of the material brain. Whether consciousness is deterministic or involves some measure of quantum uncertainty remains to be seen, but I find Roger Penrose's argument for quantum uncertainty unconvincing. For the moment, Ockham's Razor rules.

Second, we can study emergent consciousness by observing other organisms, from sea snails to chimpanzees. That is, in principle, we can build up an understanding of human consciousness incrementally. This assumes, of course, that human consciousness differs from that of other organisms only in complexity, not kind. Again, for the moment, the Razor rules.

Third, as I mentioned here once before, a project is underway to fully map the neuronal structure of the human brain, at which point it should be possible to construct an operational electronic analog of the brain. Will such machines be conscious? Google "artificial consciousness" and you'll find arguments for both sides. At the very least we will pare away some of the incomprehensibility.

Fourth, we may already have created a "conscious" machine: the internet, which approaches the human brain in its degree of interconnected complexity. It is continuously "aware," sensitive to millions of sensory inputs- touch, vision, hearing, smell, and for all I know even taste. I can ask a question in human language or tap an icon and instantly have a response from the internet's vast memory. The internet and its myriad of input/output devices mimic enough of the aspects of human consciousness for us to be increasingly confident that consciousness is not intrinsically beyond in principle understanding. And isn't in principle understanding all we ask of science, and Life?"

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

"Change"

"Change"

"Change.

But start slowly, because direction is more important than speed.

•

Sit in another chair, on the other side of the table.

Later on, change tables.

•

When you go out, try to walk on the other side of the street. 

Then change your route, walk calmly down other streets, 

observing closely the places you pass by.

•

Take other buses. Change your wardrobe for a while; give away your 

old shoes and try to walk barefoot for a few days – even if only at home.

•

Take off a whole afternoon to stroll about freely,

listening to the birds or the noise of the cars.

•

Open and shut the drawers and doors with your left hand.

•

Sleep on the other side of the bed. Then try sleeping in other beds.

Watch other TV programs, read other books, live other romances – 

even of only in your imagination.

•

Sleep until later. Go to bed earlier.

•

Learn a new word a day.

•

Eat a little less, eat a little more, eat differently; choose new seasonings,

 new colors, things you have never dared to experiment.

•

Lunch in other places, go to other restaurants, 

order another kind of drink and buy bread at another bakery.

•

Lunch earlier, have dinner later, or vice-versa.

•

Try something new every day: a new side, a new method, 

a new flavor, a new way, a new pleasure, a new position.

•

Pick another market, another make of soap, another toothpaste.

Take a bath at different times of the day.

•

Use pens with different colors.

•

Go and visit other places.

•

Love more and more and in different ways. 

•

Even when you think that the other will be frightened, 

suggest what you have always dreamed about doing when you make love.

•

Change your bag, your wallet, your suitcases, 

buy new glasses, write other poems.

•

Open an account in another bank, go to other cinemas, 

other hairdressers, other theaters, visit new museums.

•

Change. And think seriously of finding another job, another activity, 

work that is more like what you expect from life, more dignified, more human.

•

If you cannot find reasons to be free, invent them: be creative.

•

And grab the chance to take a long, enjoyable trip – 

preferably without any destination.

•

Try new things. Change again. Make another change. 

Experiment something else.

•

You will certainly know better things and worse things 

than those you already know,  but that does not matter. 

What matters most is change, movement, dynamism, energy.

Only what is dead does not change – and you are alive."

- Clarice Lispector

The Poet: Paul Fisher, "The Boat"

"The Boat"

"Maybe the eyes of a dragon or goddess

glare from its prow.

More likely it leaks, loses an oar,

and reeks of rainbows awash on a sheen

of gutted salmon and gasoline.

If it’s a liner, we lash ourselves

to whatever will float or sell.

No matter which. We choose. We’re aboard,

icebergs or no, as we plow

through the songs of the siren stars-

one boat, black water, dark whispering below."

- Paul Fisher,

"Rumors of Shore"

The Daily "Near You?"

West Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"Hope..."

“Hope is always about the future. And it isn’t always good news. Sometimes, hope can imprison us with belief or expectation that something will happen in the future to change our lives. Similarly hopelessness isn’t always about despair. Hopelessness can bring us right into this very moment and answer all of life’s most difficult questions. Who am I? Where am I? What does this mean? And what now?”

- Daniel Gottlieb

"Maturity Is Discovering How Everything You Believe Is A Lie"

"Maturity Is Discovering How Everything You Believe Is A Lie"

by Caitlin Johnstone

"You get your first taste of it when you’re little. You find your Christmas presents in your parents’ closet in early December, or maybe some older kid just tells you that Santa Claus isn’t real. What the hell? What the hell is this? Some freaky psyop run by your parents, just for kicks? And all the other parents are in on it too? And Hollywood? All those movies and TV specials about Santa were just lies? How far does this go? What is this strange reality?

Ah well. We’ve all got to grow up sometime. From now on you only believe in real stuff, like the Tooth Fairy. Thus begins a maturing process of discovering the various ways you’ve been deceived about what’s real which, hopefully, continues for the rest of your life.

When you get a bit older you might start gathering information which causes you to realize that some of the people in your life might not have been telling you the truth about some things. Soda and Pop Rocks can’t really cause a dangerous explosion. Your eleven year-old friend probably hasn’t “boned” every girl in class. You actually haven’t been seeing Dad much since the divorce.

And that’s usually about as exciting as it gets for a while, because you’re a young person trying to learn how to function in the world and you can’t learn if you believe everything you’re being taught is a lie. But that period of credulity doesn’t last long. Not if you’re lucky.

Maybe you start questioning this religion thing. It sure seems weird how they tell you you’ll be rewarded with eternal bliss if you espouse a belief system around which entire empires have been wrapped, which still to this day influences political thought and makes a whole lot of money for some people, but you’ll be tortured forever if you don’t. That sounds made up. Like the sort of thing you’d make up if you were trying to manipulate a large number of people into believing something that benefits you.

And maybe that opens up a bunch of other areas of exploration. Maybe it’s no big deal if someone loves somebody who’s the same gender as them. Maybe the hard labels and roles we assign to gender aren’t necessarily as solid and real as we’ve been told. And maybe relationships don’t need to look a certain way at all. Maybe relationship structures are completely made up, and people can write their own rules with consenting adults in whatever way they like, even if it’s unusual and doesn’t seem like something you’d enjoy.

Maybe it’s okay for everyone to find their own way in this life, since there don’t appear to be any trustworthy roadmaps of authority on the matter. Maybe it’s okay for people to take up any philosophy or approach to living they find useful, for however long they find it useful, and then take up new ones when the old ones aren’t useful anymore. Maybe it’s okay if they want to smoke a joint or have sex with many different people, or do anything they like as it doesn’t harm others.

Maybe you start to wonder if the political ideology of your parents is stupid. Hey, who knows? Maybe what they’ve told you about the world and how it works is no more true than what they used to tell you about Santa Claus.

If you continue to mature, at some point you’ll start to notice that the news isn’t being entirely honest about things. Is every single war of the US and its allies really good and just? Are the nations which aren’t aligned with the US really nefarious monsters who constantly plot our downfall and commit atrocities? That sounds made up. Like something you’d make up if you were trying to manipulate a large number of people into believing something that benefits you.

As you discover more and more things you’ve been given false or misleading information about by the “reputable sources” in the mass media, at some point you’ll notice that the picture you are now seeing of the world is completely irreconcilable with what you were taught in school about your nation, your political system, your government, and your world.

You were lied to. You do not live in an imperfect but well intentioned democracy in which the people determine the best course of action for their government using votes, you live in an oligarchy with no meaningful separation between corporate power and state power, whose fate is determined not by votes but by a loose transnational alliance of plutocrats and sociopathic government agencies. You do not live in a separate nation in a world full of other separate nations, you live in a globe-spanning power alliance which functions as a single empire controlled by unaccountable elites who use governments as tools to advance agendas of control and domination.

The economy is a collective delusion. Money is a conceptual construct that’s only as real as we all agree to pretend it is. All the written and unwritten rules which govern our society are made up, and if enough of us wanted to we could simply make new ones. All the stories about what our world is and what it should be are constructs of the human imagination, and we are free to collectively re-imagine or simply dispense with them if we collectively choose to do so.

As you uncover more and more lies and mature even further, you start getting curious about what other beliefs in your head are false. Beliefs about life itself. Beliefs about society. Beliefs about your loved ones and your relationships. Beliefs about yourself.

Maybe you begin unearthing beliefs you didn’t even know you’d had that had been lurking in your subconscious mind, pulling the strings of your life from behind the scenes. Beliefs like, “The world is a dark, scary place.” Or, “Life is supposed to be hard.” Or, “I have to stay in this marriage because I promised I would.” Or, “I have to maintain a relationship with my mother even though she’s horrible to me.” Or, “I don’t deserve to be happy.” “I am disgusting.” “I am ugly.” “I am unworthy.” “I am unlovable.”

And maybe you start changing your life so that it aligns with what you know to be true instead of with your old false beliefs. Maybe you find love. Maybe you quit your awful job to take a chance on something you enjoy. Maybe you leave your unfulfilling marriage. Maybe you begin creating a whole new life based on truth and consciousness.

And maybe, just maybe, at some point you discover that even the thing you take to be “you” isn’t real. That there is no solid separate self to be found anywhere outside the realm of mental narrative, and that all of your psychological suffering has been caused by the fact that most of your thoughts revolve around a “me” character who has never ever existed. Maybe you discover that separation itself is a lie that is only given the illusion of reality by belief in mental labels, and that beneath the false narratives of the labeling, dividing mind, it’s all one.

And maybe you keep right on maturing, remaining curious about what’s really true for the rest of your life. And the more clearly and truthfully you perceive what’s going on in yourself, your life, your society and your world, the more efficaciously you are able to move through it all. And maybe you discover that this brings an amount of happiness, love and beauty to your life that you never would have previously dreamed possible.

Or maybe you don’t. It’s your adventure, and I could be lying as much as your parents were as they set out the milk and cookies for Santa. I just wish you a fulfilling journey into your own relationship with truth, for as far as you want to take it."

- https://www.blacklistednews.com/

"Roll The Dice!"

"Life's a gamble. Courage is to roll the dice and go

for the gusto when all odds and bets are against you!"

- Bobby Compton

○

Charles Bukowski, "Roll The Dice"

"Spinning Our Wheels"

"Spinning Our Wheels"

By Bill Bonner

YOUGHAL, IRELAND – "Last week, we got a better look at how the Biden team aims to remake American society. The biggest announcement was the goal of turning the U.S into a “net zero” economy. Here’s CBS News: "In his opening remarks, Mr. Biden [at the virtual Leaders Climate Summit] said the U.S. can reach the emissions target through his jobs plan – a $3 trillion infrastructure package meant to revitalize the nation’s energy grid and create a net-zero economy."

An ambitious agenda. And at least as idiotic as it is aggressive. Will the world be a better place if the program is implemented? Nobody knows. The whole plan is based on theories and models that are impossible to prove… and bound to go out of style in the years ahead.

Today’s Great Cause: But climate change is today’s bugaboo – like religion was for many centuries. It gives meaning and purpose to peoples’ lives… It’s a source of jobs and profits… And it helps the elite keep the masses in line. After all, people will build pyramids in the hot desert sun… or attack Russia in the wintertime – when it is for a Great Cause. Anyone could already take up a Green Agenda on his own, attach solar panels to his house, plant a garden, put on a sweater, and buy an electric car.

But History – bless her heart – wants grandiose spectacles. And that means forcing everyone to go along with your asinine misadventure. Everybody talks about the weather, for example, but now we’re going to do something about it! The climate experts claim to know what the temperature should be… And by golly, they’re going to bully us all until we get there. Of course, this is very unlikely to have the slightest effect on the weather.

Marching Backwards: But it should have major consequences, nonetheless. For while human beings have never intentionally modified the climate of Planet Earth by even a fraction of a degree, they have proven that they can wipe out centuries of wealth in just a few years. The process is simple and well known. You do it by marching backward, from civilized to uncivilized… by murdering, destroying, robbing… by squandering time and resources… and by interfering, meddling, and prohibiting win-win deals (in which people cooperate with each other and make each other’s lives better).

One of the great recent examples of wealth destruction was achieved in the Soviet Union. The Great Cause then was to create a workers’ paradise by eliminating all traces of traditional bourgeois capitalism. To that end, private property was confiscated and millions of people were starved, shot, or sent to the gulag… And the whole economy was rejigged. Hey, you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs, Lenin is said to have remarked.

Spinning Wheels: But when you start cracking shells, pretty soon, you’ve got a big mess on your hands. In little ways and big ones, things begin to go bad. Heavy industries, driven by quotas, produce inferior products that people neither want nor need. Shopkeepers, with no need to please their customers, forget to smile.

In the Soviet Union, taxi drivers, for example, were no longer allowed to do win-win deals with passengers. A whole new system was set up… controlled by the government. The taxis were allotted only a certain amount of gasoline. They were supposed to use it to help people to get around. At the end of the week, they had to show their odometer readings to prove that they had done the job. But they found that it was more profitable for them just to spin their wheels.

They drove into a vacant warehouse, jacked up the rear of the taxi, and let the wheels spin until they had clocked the necessary miles. This greatly economized on gasoline, which they were then able to sell on the black market. But then, the workers went about on foot. And as the whole economy was reorganized in this enlightened manner, everyone – except for the elite – walked backward.

And now… with the future of Planet Earth at stake… Team Biden is on the case. Every energy-using aspect of American society will be reconfigured.

Who Pays? But wait… This is an expensive make-over. How will we pay for it? The White House proposes to put the burden on the rich. Reuters adds detail: "Erica York, an economist at the Tax Foundation, said the proposal would put U.S. capital gains taxes at the top of the global charts. Average capital gains taxes in Europe are around 19.3%, and the highest rate there is in Denmark, which collects 42%. France and Finland charge 34%.

For residents of some states and cities that assess their own capital gains levy, Biden's plan would push the total capital gains rate to more than 50%, York said. The rate would rise to 56.7% in California, 58.2% in New York City and 57.3% in Portland, Oregon, York said.

Let’s see, capital gains come from increases in wealth (at least, in theory). The feds will take away money from the people who’ve earned it, and who have thereby proven that they can increase wealth. They will spend the money on projects that these productive people didn’t think were worth doing. (Otherwise, there would be no need for the feds to get involved.) Time and resources will be wasted. Boondoggles will come and go. Real wealth will decrease. And wheels will spin."

- www.rogueeconomics.com

"How It Really Is"

 

"Covid-19 Pandemic Update 4/26/21"

"Covid-19 Pandemic Update 4/26/21"

○

“When you don’t have the data and you don’t have

 the actual evidence, you’ve got to make a judgment call." 

- Dr. Anthony Fauci, 3/11/21

○

 Coronavirus Map: Tracking the Global Outbreak 

 April 26, 2021 8:20 AM ET: 

The coronavirus pandemic has sickened more than 146,819,900 

people, according to official counts, including 32,103,700 Americans.

Globally at least 3,105,100 have died.

  April 26, 2021 8:20 AM ET: 

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count

- www.nytimes.com

○

"The COVID Tracking Project"
Every day, our volunteers compile the latest numbers on tests, cases, 
hospitalizations, and patient outcomes from every US state and territory.
- https://covidtracking.com/

○

"The individual comes face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst. It rejects even the assumption that human creatures could espouse a philosophy which must ultimately destroy all that is good and decent."

- J. Edgar Hoover

○

Related:

"The Vaccines Aren’t Actually Vaccines"

• "Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines"

• "Vaccines Will Kill By Cytokine Storm"

• "Basic Arithmetic For Leftist Losers"

• "The COVID Fraud Will Not Stay Hidden Forever"

• "Straight Talk On Covid"

"MIT Study Suggests Six Foot Social Distancing, Limited Occupancy Rules Are Completely Pointless"

"MIT Study Suggests Six Foot Social Distancing, 

Limited Occupancy Rules Are Completely Pointless"

by Tom Pappert

"A new study conducted by MIT scientists and released this week reveals that the six foot social distancing and limited occupancy guidelines made law in most of the civilized world have done little to slow the spread of COVID-19, and suggests the only way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is to limit exposure to highly populated areas and areas where people are physically exerting themselves, such as gyms, or areas where people are singing or speaking, such as churches.

The study reveals that the social distancing guidelines employed throughout much of the world for over a year have done nothing to limit the spread of COVID-19, suggesting that the adaption of the guidelines did not stop the spread of the of the China-originated virus, and it can only be slowed with the employment of severe lockdowns. Paradoxically, states and cities that have engaged in severe lockdowns have seen the largest spikes of COVID-19.

“We argue there really isn’t much of a benefit to the 6-foot rule, especially when people are wearing masks,” MIT professor Martin Z. Bazant said, as reported by NBC. “It really has no physical basis because the air a person is breathing while wearing a mask tends to rise and comes down elsewhere in the room so you’re more exposed to the average background than you are to a person at a distance.” In other words, widespread mask wearing may simply change the physical vectors of transmission within a given room rather than stop it, effectively making six foot distancing rules pointless.

In their study, Bazant and the other researchers declare, “Adherence to the Six-Foot Rule would limit large-drop transmission, and adherence to our guideline, [of limiting time spent in densely populated areas], would limit long-range airborne transmission.”

In the guideline, the researchers write, “To minimize risk of infection, one should avoid spending extended periods in highly populated areas. One is safer in rooms with large volume and high ventilation rates. One is at greater risk in rooms where people are exerting themselves in such a way as to increase their respiration rate and pathogen output, for example, by exercising, singing, or shouting.”

Bazant also told the media, “What our analysis continues to show is that many spaces that have been shut down in fact don’t need to be. Often times the space is large enough, the ventilation is good enough, the amount of time people spend together is such that those spaces can be safely operated even at full capacity and the scientific support for reduced capacity in those spaces is really not very good.” He added, “I think if you run the numbers, even right now for many types of spaces you’d find that there is not a need for occupancy restrictions.”

This comes on the heels of a study that suggests the Pfizer vaccine could cause severe neurodegenerative diseases caused by brain prions created by the mRNA-style vaccine. National File reported, “‘The current RNA based SARSCoV-2 vaccines were approved in the US using an emergency order without extensive long term safety testing,’ the report declares. ‘In this paper the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was evaluated for the potential to induce prion-based disease in vaccine recipients.’ Prion-based diseases are, according to the CDC, a form of neurodegenerative diseases, meaning that the Pfizer vaccine is potentially likely to cause long term damage and negative health effects with regards to the brain.”

- https://nationalfile.com/

- https://www.zerohedge.com/

"Economic Market Snapshot 4/26/21"

"Economic Market Snapshot 4/26/21"

○

"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will

do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."

- John Maynard Keynes

○

"Down the rabbit hole of psychopathic greed and insanity...

Only the consequences are real - to you!

Your guide:

Gregory Mannarino, AM 4/26/21:

"The Economic Meltdown Worsens" 

- https://traderschoice.net/

○

"The more I see of the monied classes, 

the better I understand the guillotine."

- George Bernard Shaw

○

MarketWatch Market Summary, Live Updates

- https://www.marketwatch.com/tools/marketsummary

CNN Market Data:

- https://money.cnn.com/data/markets/

CNN Fear And Greed Index:

- https://money.cnn.com/data/fear-and-greed/

○

A comprehensive, essential daily read.

- http://www.shadowstats.com/

April 23rd to 26th, Updated Daily 

○

Financial Stress Index

"The OFR Financial Stress Index (OFR FSI) is a daily market-based snapshot of stress in global financial markets. It is constructed from 33 financial market variables, such as yield spreads, valuation measures, and interest rates. The OFR FSI is positive when stress levels are above average, and negative when stress levels are below average. The OFR FSI incorporates five categories of indicators: credit, equity valuation, funding, safe assets and volatility. The FSI shows stress contributions by three regions: United States, other advanced economies, and emerging markets."

○

Daily Job Cuts

- https://www.dailyjobcuts.com/

○

- https://www.zerohedge.com/

○

- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

○

- https://wallstreetonparade.com/

○

- https://www.whatreallyhappened.com/

○

- https://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/

○
Commentary, highly recommended:

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

○

And now, the End Game...

○

Oh yeah...

“Economy Has Fallen - You’re Next; No One Working But Record Home Sales? Financial Emergency Plan”

Jeremiah Babe,

“Economy Has Fallen - You’re Next; No One Working 

But Record Home Sales? Financial Emergency Plan”

"Alert! $123 Trillion US Government Debt Is A Looming Disaster: Prepare Your Self For The Worst!"

Full screen recommended.

"Alert! $123 Trillion US Government Debt Is A Looming Disaster: 

Prepare Your Self For The Worst!"

by Epic Economist

"Although the U.S. is still dealing with a steep economic recession, there's another threatening crisis looming on the horizon: our national debt. Most Americans are unaware of how the government debt is compromising their wealth, their economic stability, and their future. Our massive outstanding debt isn't the "good" kind of debt resultant from spending related to economic growth or crisis management. Instead, it was created to fund a series of unrelated projects that do not actually stimulate production, therefore, it does not support solid economic growth. Even worse, it continues to rise without any prospects of repayment, and the largest share of our tax dollars are spent on such reckless mandatory spending. In addition to our staggering debt and our expanding annual budget deficits, at this point, every major trust fund is spiraling toward insolvency. Politicians and policymakers are aware of the consequences this will have on the economy and our lives, yet they have no plan, or real revenue, to fix the mess they have created.

We're only four months into 2021, and the current administration already ran a record $1.7 trillion budget deficit. Last month, the national debt surpassed $28 trillion for the first time. But the problem goes much deeper than that. As the chief economist and global strategist Peter Schiff warned in a recent article, the US debt problem is even worse than advertised. According to the Financial State of the Union 2021 published by Truth in Accounting, when liabilities are included, the actual US debt stands at shocking $123.11 trillion. This means that if we were to pay off all of Uncle Sam’s liabilities, every taxpayer in the country would have to write a check for $796,000. Can you imagine having to pay for that?

In other words, if it were a private company, the US government would be bankrupt. Ironically, the Treasury Department only features $175.30 billion of Social Security and Medicare liabilities on the federal balance sheet. That is to say, politicians have been deliberately hiding the risks such liabilities will be passed on to future generations who will have to unconsciously assume the burden of the government debt before even being born. That's just outrageous and utterly absurd.

In essence, we have become a consumption economy rather than a production economy. Over the past year, as shutdowns halted production across several industries, we have been mostly relying on strong international economies to produce what we consume. Consequently, we have been seeing prices dramatically surge. But Peter Schiff reminds us that the soaring prices are not the inflation. "They’re the consequence of the inflation. The inflation is created by the Fed as it inflates the money supply to buy up all the bonds the government is selling so the stimulus checks don’t bounce,” he explained. Right now, the question that remains is for how long will the rest of the world finance America’s standard of living?

"When the dollar crashes, that’s the end of this game. Because to the extent that we can only spend our dollars on the things that we produce ourselves, that’s where it hits the fan, because we’re not producing things. And then price increases are going to explode in a much more visible manner,” Schiff warned, maintaining that our leaders keep pretending this is a one-time thing, that it will be transitory, saying that price increases are happening because of supply shocks or shortages. But the economist exclaims that isn't true. "It’s a surplus of money. That is the problem. And we’re creating even more," he asserted. The new administration has assumed office less than six months ago, but alongside Congress, it's already fleshing out a new trillion-dollar “infrastructure” spending plan, despite the fact it has just passed a $2 trillion fiscal package.

There will always be an excuse to borrow and spend more. At the moment, the health crisis is being used as the cue they needed to engage in reckless spending. If we were in good times, they would tell us it would be necessary to maintain such inflationary policies to “invest in our future". The time of prioritizing real concerns about the budget deficits and paying down the national debt never comes. "It’s always “kick the can down the road”. That works fine - until you run out of road. That road is looking mighty short.," Schiff says. Right now, the US government is overdosing on debt, and it must stop the borrowing and spending binges - or the U.S. house of cards will fall, with dangerous political, social and global implications."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com

"The Most Broken People Are Usually the Kindest "

"The Most Broken People Are Usually the Kindest"

by Sherrie Hurd

"It's not the sheltered individual that becomes the nicest person in adulthood. It's the broken people who have the kindest hearts. Trauma, heartache, and pain can hold us back if we let them, but they can make us stronger too. These experiences that create damaged people can also create kind and appreciative people as well. It's because we don't all fold under immense pressure and abuse.

Sometimes, we grow and we actually heal. Yes, it is hard to heal, especially when pain or trauma repeats itself, but we can still evolve into butterflies afterward. We can also share the love and kindness like no other.

Hope for the hopeless: So many children in this world are abused, and so many unexpected deaths and heartaches happen every day. At first, it seems like our lives are ruined. We may suffer for years, decades even, but our story doesn't have to be hopeless. In fact, there are many of us who have learned to love hard because of the damage we've been dealt. As broken people, we develop amazing quantities of empathy and charity. How is this possible? Why the kindest people were once broken people:

1. They know darkness well: Broken-hearted people, whether victims of abuse or survivors of trauma have known true darkness. Most of the victims of any harrowing experience have been to the depths of this darkness, lived there for quite some time, and then came back with something remarkable.

People who are damaged but who have healed bring the brightest light back with them after their previous hell. The deeper the darkness, the brighter the light that they bring as well. They learned to understand how the darkness works, and they also understand how to illuminate this well of hopelessness. These broken individuals become kind and loving due to the light they learned to generate while in the dark.

2. They know where growth comes from: People who've suffered from long periods of pain learn to adapt. Maybe at first, they are pessimistic, but after learning things from their pain, they see something else behind the hurt. They see the potential for growth.

Now, I'm not saying that people should hurt to understand how to grow and mature, but those who have felt this pain seem to learn faster. They also tend to spread this knowledge to others in a sort of way that is patient and comforting. The broken ones help others who are broken by showing that love fuels incredible growth.

3. They love the greatest: Have you ever met someone who seemed to love so hard that it was almost too much? Well, sometimes broken people mature into individuals who love hard and they love true with a sure sense of loyalty and devotion. Why do the broken love so hard?

Well, usually this comes from the lack of love they received as children or the many times of heartache from dysfunctional relationships. They may even love so hard due to being neglected at some point or the other. Those who have suffered from a lack of love may be suffocating you, but it's just that they want to make sure they love with their whole heart.

4. They want to stop the hurt: When you meet a broken and damaged person, they will either be angry because they have yet to heal, or they will be the kindest person you will ever meet. Another reason why they are so kind is that they don't want anyone else to suffer in the way they did.

The pattern of abuse or the pattern of neglect is like a generational curse, and the broken-hearted want to stop the pattern and create a new way of living. It's like a son of an alcoholic has two choices: he can fall into the same pattern of drinking, or he can stop the hurt that comes with this addiction. The one who wants to stop the patterns of hurt is usually a kind, loving and patient survivor.

5. They are resilient, and they are empathetic: Survivors of horrific events are usually quite resilient. They've been through some of the worst experiences and came out the other side as a stronger person. Broken people such as this become resilient and can face things that scare others.

With this resiliency, they tend to have a great deal of empathy which causes them to be kind to others. If someone else is going through something, they serve as both the backbone and the balm to those who need it most. The kindness of some people helps victims of abuse or domestic violence in ways that treatments and therapies cannot touch. It's because they can relate to dealing with huge amounts of pain.

Never judge the broken: Many broken people are judged because they are different, or because they occasionally exhibit a few setbacks due to their traumatic history. Do not be fooled, however, these are some of the strongest people you will ever know.

Remember this, broken people know what it feels like to be hurt, and so they work hard to be as kind as possible to everyone. When someone is mean to them, they often see the hurt behind the insults and anger instead of how much they don't like the hateful person. Many of us cannot do that and tend to just dislike those who are unkind to us. Yes, the broken prefer to be nice and understanding. It's almost as if trauma has endowed them with the superpower of kindness. These are the reasons why the broken are so special."

- https://www.learning-mind.com/

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"You never know how strong you are 

until being strong is your only choice."

- Bob Marley

Musical Interlude: Mecano, "Hijo de la Luna"

Mecano, "Hijo de la Luna"