"How Bad Is Putin? Ask the Devil"

"How Bad Is Putin? Ask the Devil"

By Brian Maher

"We monitor both “conservative” and “liberal” news media. Not to learn, but to laugh - and to observe. To observe, that is, the political mind in operation…

If one political mind argues “X,” the opposing political mind must argue “Y.” If one political mind argues “Y,” the opposing political mind must argue “X”- or perhaps “Z.” Yet this past week both conservative and liberal minds have dissolved into one. That is, both sides agree that the year is not 2022 - but 1938. Both conservative and liberal establishments insist Mr. Putin is a 21st-century Hitler, a modern berserker, a murderer of Western civilization. The Russian authoritarian will not settle for Ukraine, they yell. Poland will fill his sights tomorrow, the Baltic states the day after tomorrow… and all of Europe the day after next.

Yet is Mr. Putin the incarnated soul of Herr Hitler? Or is he merely the clear-eyed champion of his nation’s interests? Let the record reflect it at once - we are not with the Russian strongman. Ukrainian blood - and Russian blood - will forever stain his hands He cannot rinse it away.

Yet - yet - we suspect the media are handing us half a story. We would like the whole story. We would prefer some semblance of balance. And so today we summon, from the infernal realms, advocatus diaboli - the devil’s advocate. Below, you will find a dialogue between a mainstream spokesman and the devil’s advocate. Read on.

Does Mr. Putin bear sole responsibility for Ukraine’s war? Does he harbor authentic grievances?

Mainstream Spokesman: Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a severe breach of international law and a crime against humanity. He is a ruthless thug.

Advocatus Diaboli: It is true - the fellow is a ruthless thug - and plenty more. I can assure you the Boss has space set aside for him once he pays his debt to nature. He has a reservation, so to speak. Yet I would caution you Americans about invoking international law. Your observance of international law - so-called - can be rather… selective.

Under which international law did your United States invade Panama in 1989 or Iraq in 2003? Under which international law did you oust Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi in 2011? Or, for the matter of that, under which international law do American soldiers presently occupy the sovereign nation of Syria? Russian troops are also there, it is true. But Putin was invited in by the Syrian government. Where was your invitation?

Mainstream Spokesman: That’s ridiculous. These were evil regimes that killed their own people and threatened their neighbors. They were bad guys. We liberate oppressed peoples. We’re the good guys.

Advocatus Diaboli: Let us assume - arguendo - that you are the good guys. And compared with the Saddam Husseins of your world, you certainly are. But it strikes me as rather hypocritical that you cite international law only when it suits you. I’d rather you simply admit that you are willing to overlook international law when freedom and democracy are on the line. That would at least be more honest.

Mainstream Spokesman: Oh, please. Don’t compare our attempts to spread freedom and democracy to Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Putin hates democracy, as all dictators do. As the world’s leading democracy, we must support democratic values. The Ukrainians want democracy. They also want to join NATO and the EU. And Russia is one of the most corrupt nations on Earth.

Advocatus Diaboli: I see what you mean. But let me address your points, beginning with the last. It is true, Russia is one of the most corrupt nations on Earth and the most corrupt in Europe. But do you know which is the second-most corrupt nation in Europe? You guessed it, buster - Ukraine.

And I would remind you that this Ukrainian democracy of yours isn’t especially democratic. Did you know that its President Zelenskyy, now so bravely defying Russian authoritarianism, arrested the leader of his opposition party - and banned three television networks? Is this your idea of democracy? That strikes me as rather Putin-esque.

Mainstream Spokesman: Don’t get cute with me. You can’t compare Zelenskyy to Putin. The opposition leader was a puppet of Russia and a traitor. What Zelenskyy did was appropriate.

Advocatus Diaboli: I see. So you must subvert democracy in order to defend democracy.

Mainstream Spokesman: Sometimes, yes.

Advocatus Diaboli: You say Putin is Hitler. If he’s allowed to gobble Ukraine, in no time flat he’ll be gobbling all of Europe. Do I have that right?

Mainstream Spokesman: That’s exactly correct.

Advocatus Diaboli: Mmmm. Let me ask you this: Are you willing to fight for Ukrainian democracy?

Mainstream Spokesman: We will do everything we can to help Ukraine defeat the Soviet - sorry, Russian invasion. But we don’t want to intervene militarily because it could start a war with Russia, which could potentially go nuclear.

Advocatus Diaboli: That sounds reasonable to me. But if you’re not willing to fight for Ukraine’s independence today, why would you be willing to fight for Ukraine’s independence tomorrow - and risk nuclear war? You wish to bring Ukraine into NATO. But recall Article 5 of the NATO Charter. An attack on one constitutes an attack on all. All members must rush to the defense of the besieged. That means NATO - the United States, essentially - must defend Ukraine if attacked, presumably by Russia. And then you might have your dreaded nuclear war. Does this make sense?

Mainstream Spokesman: Collective defense is meant to deter aggression. That was the idea behind Woodrow Wilson’s proposed League of Nations. Bringing Ukraine into NATO will deter Russia because they don’t want to risk a larger war with us.

Advocatus Diaboli: There appears to be some logic in your argument. But you are willing to tie your security - and perhaps your very survival - to the decisions of unpredictable people thousands of miles away? You become a sort of prisoner to fortune. Assume Ukraine joins NATO. What if, in the future, Russia decides its interests are so threatened in Ukraine that it is willing to risk nuclear war? What if your lovely deterrence fails You did not think Russia would invade this time. You also did not think Russia would raise its nuclear readiness, as it has. Why should anyone think you can predict future events? Have you thought this through?

Mainstream Spokesman: Yes, absolutely. The world would be a safer place if Ukraine joined NATO.

Advocatus Diaboli: I see you mentioned Wilson. He entered World War I to make the world safe for democracy. He may have meant the best in the world. But look at the results. What he really made the world safe for was fascism and communism. You know where the path of good intentions leads to, right? Well, old Wilson can personally attest to that. The Boss particularly enjoys pitchforking him in the buttocks. He yelps like you wouldn’t believe. I enjoy watching it, I must admit.

Mainstream Spokesman: The League of Nations was a good idea. It was just that Wilson couldn’t get enough support for it. It might have stopped Hitler, as we must now stop Putin.

Advocatus Diaboli: Have you considered the possibility that your own policies are at least partly responsible for Putin’s actions?

Mainstream Spokesman: Here we go - another Putin apologist. You and Trump should get together.

Advocatus Diaboli: Believe me, we will. But never mind that. Just hear me out… Putin has warned for years that Ukraine was his line in the sand. He would not accept Ukraine within NATO, menacing at his doorstep. In reality, no Russian leader would. But you people just kept poking the bear. Victoria Nuland, some understrapper in your State Department, actually bragged about engineering a coup against Ukraine’s pro-Russian president in 2014 (incidentally, the Boss is keeping a dossier on her for future reference). To you people, Ukraine is a sort of pet project. To Russia it is a strategic imperative. Now that Putin has pounced, you clutch your pearls. HELLO! He warned you this would happen.

Mainstream Spokesman: Why should we listen to an anti-democratic dictator? Who cares what he wants? We don’t base our foreign policy on what Vladimir Putin wants.

Advocatus Diaboli: Well, maybe you should take his security concerns into consideration. He does, after all, have nuclear weapons - and may be prepared to wield them. Is a democratic, NATO-joined Ukraine more important to you than avoiding nuclear war? Look at what your Pat Buchanan said over 20 years ago: "By moving NATO onto Russia's front porch, we have scheduled a 21st-century confrontation."

But it is not just the “isolationist” Pat Buchanan who warned about NATO expansion. Shall I name some? No, you say? But I insist. Take, for example, Henry Kissinger: "To Russia, Ukraine can never be just a foreign country… Ukraine should not join NATO."

Or a certain Jack F. Matlock Jr. - former United States ambassador to the Soviet Union. This fellow argued that NATO expansion was: "The most profound strategic blunder, [encouraging] a chain of events that could produce the most serious security threat... since the Soviet Union collapsed."

Or radical Noam Chomsky - hardly a Putin apologist: "The idea that Ukraine might join a Western military alliance would be quite unacceptable to any Russian leader [and Ukraine's desire to join NATO] is not protecting Ukraine, it is threatening Ukraine with major war."

Or famed Russian scholar Stephen Cohen: "If we move NATO forces… toward Russia's borders [...] it's obviously gonna militarize the situation [and] Russia will not back off, this is existential."

Or CIA director Bill Burns: "Ukrainian entry into NATO is the brightest of all red lines for [Russia] and I have yet to find anyone who views Ukraine in NATO as anything other than a direct challenge to Russian interests."

Or former defense secretary Robert Gates: "Moving so quickly [to expand NATO] was a mistake. [...] Trying to bring Georgia and Ukraine into NATO was truly overreaching [and] an especially monumental provocation."

Or Sir Roderic Lyne, former British ambassador to Russia: "[Pushing] Ukraine into NATO... is stupid on every level… if you want to start a war with Russia, that's the best way of doing it."

Or globalist Jeffrey Sachs: "NATO enlargement is utterly misguided and risky. True friends of Ukraine, and of global peace, should be calling for a U.S. and NATO compromise with Russia."

Mainstream Spokesman: Enough! Stop! You’ve made your point, even though I disagree. I stand firm in my resolution that Putin must be stopped and that Ukraine must be allowed to have a democracy.

Advocatus Diaboli: Even if it means war with Russia?

Mainstream Spokesman:[Silence.]

Advocatus Diaboli: Well, it’s been fun. I hate to run, but the Boss is calling for me. I’ll be seeing you. No - I really mean it - I’ll be seeing you."

- dailyreckoning.com

"The Economic Suicide Of The West Is Now Under Way"

"The Economic Suicide Of The West Is Now Under Way"

by Mike Adams

"Today's urgent Situation Update podcast (see below) connects the dots and reveals why the West's economic sanctions against Russia have actually set into motion a series of events which will inevitably lead to the end of the dollar and the collapse of America as we know it.

By goading the West into severe economic sanctions and banking de-platforming, America just fell for Putin's tactical genius and unleashed a series of events that will inevitably spell the demise of the dollar and the collapse of America.

There is now a global rush away from the dollar and dollar-based control systems such as SWIFT. It's almost as if Biden and western nations were actually trying to detonate the dollar and bring it to its knees, ending the 75 years of dollar dominance in one grand suicidal leap off a cliff."

Please view the complete, critically important, article here:

- https://naturalnews.com/

Listen to today’s Situation Update podcast for even more details, including practical things you can do to beat inflation, stock up without spending a fortune, and prepare to survive the near-certain collapse of America: Podcast: Brighteon.com/9c7af8d5-777e-4a5f-9301-45dfef44a166

Gregory Mannarino, "Nightmare: The FED Is Going Out Of Its Way To Create Even More Inflation! Believe it!"

Gregory Mannarino, PM 3/2/22:

"Nightmare: The FED Is Going Out Of Its Way 

To Create Even More Inflation! Believe it!"

- https://traderschoice.net/

"The Countdown For A Global Supply Chain Breakdown Has Begun!"

Full screen recommended.

"The Countdown For A Global Supply 

Chain Breakdown Has Begun!"

by Epic Economist

"A global supply chain breakdown is on the horizon, and it is likely to cause unforeseen damages all across the industry, accelerating the decay of this complex dynamic system, and disrupting global trade for a prolonged period. That means our domestic food and energy supplies are on the line, and according to experts, if the global outlook doesn’t improve in the near term, we might soon have to start rationing food.The shipping industry is being seriously impacted by the escalating tensions. A new analysis indicates that the industry is set to face an even worse labor crunch as over 15% of the world's seafarers come from the two countries.

Last week, the U.S. imposed sweeping restrictions on Russia’s financial sector. However, such sanctions are likely to have far-reaching and unintended consequences for the United States and the entire world. Industry strategists are warning that Western restrictions are going make it difficult to pay seafarers from both countries, which will consequently lead to a manpower shortage all across supply chains at a time the sector is already plagued by a severe scarcity of labor.

According to a report released by Tradewinds, citing shipowners and ship managers who supply workers to vessels, if shipping companies have problems moving crew in and out of both countries that could also result in another crew change crisis. Adding that to the lack of payment, millions of seafarers could simply exit the industry, leading to the aggravation of delays and disruptions all over the globe.

“An offensive or land grab could sharply reduce grain production as farmers flee the conflict, agricultural infrastructure and equipment are damaged, and the region’s economy is paralyzed,” said BRS. Moreover, the most recent spike in crude oil prices and sudden increases in insurance charges will continue to inflate global shipping costs in the coming weeks and months. International Brent crude oil prices already topped $105 per barrel, hitting the highest level since in almost a decade.

According to a Goldman Sachs analysis, even though there are congestion hotspots around the world, with millions of containers backing up across almost every trade lane, the issue is significantly worse in North America. For almost two years, experts and market strategists have been alerting about the negative repercussions of port congestion for global trade and urging the U.S. federal government to take proper action to mitigate the crisis. Unfortunately, government measures have seemingly backfired, causing even bigger backlogs all across the coast. Now that shipping lines have been reduced and carriers are avoiding backed-up ports, those unsolved issues are back to bite us.

Everything we buy and consume requires transportation, and soaring oil prices will be felt throughout the entire economy in many different ways. Inflation is already making millions of Americans struggle financially, and to make the situation even more complicated, the confrontation between Eastern and Western forces is going to impact food prices very aggressively.

“This could not come have come in the worse time,” lamented Robb MacKie, president and CEO of American Bakers Association. With grain prices already on the rise, the conflict abroad is placing even more pressure on a still ailing supply chain, he says.“Depending on how this comes out and how long it goes, farmers may not be able to plant spring wheat, corn, and other things. So, they might go a year without any crops,” MacKie continued.

Keeping in mind that we were already on the cusp of a global food crisis even before the tensions started to escalate, a decline in production would be disastrous. “If the conflict is prolonged, the consequences could be really serious,” Andree Defois, president of consultant Strategie Grains, told Bloomberg. “Grains will need to be rationed,” he warned. This is the worst global supply chain crisis we have faced in history, and the current global outlook is unlike anything that we have seen since the late 1940s. If conditions continue to worsen, the collapse is going to hit us much sooner than most people expected. The countdown for a global supply chain breakdown has begun, and the months ahead are going to be extremely painful for each and every one of us."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com/

Celente and the Judge, "WW III Has Begun, Our Lives Are On The Line"

Full screen recommended.

Celente and the Judge,

"WW III Has Begun, Our Lives Are On The Line"

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

- https://trendsresearch.com/

"Stock Market Rescued Today By Feds; Homeless Living At Closed Banks; Dollar Destructiom Continues"

Full screen recommended.

Jeremiah Babe, PM 3/2/22:

"Stock Market Rescued Today By Feds; 

Homeless Living At Closed Banks; Dollar Destruction Continues"

Musical Interlude: Neil H, “Candlelight Dreams”

Neil H, “Candlelight Dreams”

"A Look to the Heavens"

"Braided, serpentine filaments of glowing gas suggest this nebula's popular name, The Medusa Nebula. Also known as Abell 21, this Medusa is an old planetary nebula some 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. Like its mythological namesake, the nebula is associated with a dramatic transformation.

The planetary nebula phase represents a final stage in the evolution of low mass stars like the sun, as they transform themselves from red giants to hot white dwarf stars and in the process shrug off their outer layers. Ultraviolet radiation from the hot star powers the nebular glow. The Medusa's transforming star is near the center of the overall bright crescent shape. In this deep telescopic view, fainter filaments clearly extend below and to the left of the bright crescent region. The Medusa Nebula is estimated to be over 4 light-years across.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121025.html

The Poet: Mark Strand, "Dreams"

"Dreams"

"Trying to recall the plot

And characters we dreamed,

What life was like

Before the morning came,

We are seldom satisfied,

And even then

There is no way of knowing

If what we know is true.

Something nameless

Hums us into sleep,

Withdraws, and leaves us in

A place that seems

Always vaguely familiar.

Perhaps it is because

We take the props

And fixtures of our days

With us into the dark,

Assuring ourselves

We are still alive. And yet

Nothing here is certain;

Landscapes merge

With one another, houses

Are never where they should be,

Doors and windows

Sometimes open out

To other doors and windows,

Even the person

Who seems most like ourselves

Cannot be counted on,

For there have been

Too many times when he,

Like everything else, has done

The unexpected.

And as the night wears on,

The dim allegory of ourselves

Unfolds, and we

Feel dreamed by someone else,

A sleeping counterpart,

Who gathers in

The darkness of his person

Shades of the real world.

Nothing is clear;

We are not ever sure

If the life we live there

Belongs to us.

Each night it is the same;

Just when we’re on the verge

Of catching on,

A sense of our remoteness

Closes in, and the world

So lately seen

Gradually fades from sight.

We wake to find the sleeper

Is ourselves

And the dreamt-of is someone who did

Something we can’t quite put

Our finger on,

But which involved a life

We are always, we feel,

About to discover."

- Mark Strand

"Someone Once Told Me..."

"Someone once told me that time is a predator that stalked us all our lives. But I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey, that reminds us to cherish every moment because they'll never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we live it. After all, Number One, we're only mortal."

- Captain Jean-Luc Picard

"Energy, Money & Trust"

"Energy, Money & Trust"

Shivering in the dark while juggling hand grenades.

by Bill Bonner

Youghal, Ireland - "What happened to Covid? It has disappeared from the headlines. And Joe Biden says it’s no longer anything to worry about. We didn’t hear him mention terrorists. But they must not be worth worrying about either. Both have been supplanted by the Bugaboo du Jour: Russia, bad; Ukraine, good. And like the two previous crises of the 21st century, only one point of view is permitted. Any other is cause for firing, canceling, deplatforming and defenestrating. The Hill: "A Milwaukee assistant city attorney has been fired after backing Russian President Vladimir Putin in an appearance on Russia Today TV."

But there’s always more to the story. And when the US banned Russian banks from the international money-clearing system, known as SWIFT, there was a whole rack of shoes waiting to fall. In effect, what the US is doing to Russia is similar to what the Canadians did to their protesting truckers – cutting them off from their own money. No due process. No courts. No trials. No defense witnesses; and no jury of 12 citizens, good and stout, to hear them.

Sanctions may seem like a fairly harmless way – better than dropping bombs – to meddle in foreign affairs. But foreign affairs are almost always disasters. And all actions have consequences. In today’s letter we wonder what they might be...

Inflation, meet Recession: In the sanction program, one thing was spared – Russian energy exports. It was all very high-minded of the Europeans and Americans to express their outrage at Putin’s invasion. (‘If there’s any invading going on, we’ll do it ourselves,’ Hillary Clinton should have said.) But they had no intention of shivering in the dark to make their point. Europe relies on Russian gas. America uses Russian-sourced energy too. If those pipelines were turned off, the price of oil worldwide – already hitting $110 this morning – would go even higher… and the US might be dealing with, not just inflation, but recession too.

Russian companies can still sell gas and oil… and still receive dollars or euros for them. The trouble is, what good are they? Cut off from the global financial system, they can’t use them… at least, not through the regular, official channels. Adam Tooze writes: "The crucial thing is that reserves of euros and dollars can be put to work only by selling them in western financial markets. Those transactions require intermediary banks. And those banks can be blocked from engaging in transactions involving Russia’s central bank. To do this to a fellow central bank involves breaking the assumption of sovereign equality and the common interest in upholding the rights to property."

What made civilized money such an important innovation is that it is neutral. Neither judge nor jury, a dollar is a dollar. An ounce of gold is just an ounce of gold. Trade flourishes because you don’t have to know everything there is to know about your counter-party. You buy a carpet from Iran… you don’t have to speak Persian. You don’t have to know the family that made it. You don’t know how they treat their sheep, their women or their children. Two hundred years ago, did their ancestors own slaves? And do they now doubt the Virgin Birth or that universal vaccination is supposedly the best way to deal with Covid?

Pulling the Pin: Until recently, you didn’t have to worry about it. You just had to know that the gold was real… or the dollar wasn’t counterfeit. But today, trading your money for ‘stuff’ comes with conditions attached. ‘Where did you get the money,’ your bank might ask. Has it been laundered? Did you trade with the Russians?

Money has been “weaponized,” say the pundits. But when the money goes, everything goes. With consumer price inflation already at 7.5%... and price hikes for raw materials hitting double digits… the US is already juggling with hand grenades. Not only do you have to wonder what your dollars will be worth… you also may wonder if you will have permission to spend them.

Russian exporters must be wondering too: ‘If I can’t spend the money as I please, I might as well just close the valves.’ Or, ‘I’ll have to raise my prices… and find a workaround.’ In either case, the effect is likely to be higher prices… less trade… less prosperity. And whatever you may think of Vladimir Putin, the US and its allies may be jeopardizing three key elements of modern prosperity – energy, money, and trust – all at once.

Weaponized? For sure. The kind of weapon that blows up in your face. More to the story… coming tomorrow."

- bonnerprivateresearch@substack.com

"The Inflation Nightmare and Predatory Lending are Back"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly 3/2/22:

"The Inflation Nightmare and Predatory Lending are Back"

"Things are getting worse before our eyes. Predatory Lenders are back. People are sick and tired of inflation, and it is growing on a daily basis. Commodities are going through the roof. There is no end in sight to where the prices for oil, food and metals are headed."

The Daily "Near You?"

Peoria, Arizona, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"Walk With The Dreamers..."

"Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it..."

 - Wilferd Peterson

"Get Prepared for 2022"

"Get Prepared for 2022"

by Robert W Malone MD, MS

"Normalcy bias refers to a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This may result in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations." 

– Wikipedia

"Below, Jill and I offer some very basic advice - some of it we personally are doing now. This is practical stuff that we are thinking about, just as we included in the book that published on Amazon in February 2020 when we anticipated the coming impact of COVID-19. Our intention is to help our friends and neighbors to prepare and protect themselves. For a few of the more extreme measures listed, we are (personally) in a “wait and see” mode.

The thing is to be aware of broad global trends, and to use your own judgement. Do not rely on the legacy media to tell you what to think and how to respond. They are not your friends, and if we have learned one thing from the past two years it is that the legacy media cannot be trusted to tell the truth. They will spin everything in whatever way the government (or the World Economic Forum) wants them to say. We do not want to sound like alarmists, and are not predicting the “end times”, but we suggest that it will just be good home and farm practice to take a little time and invest some resources to prepare in case things take a turn for the worse.

What all of the information that we are seeing predicts is that the historic levels of inflation are likely to continue and may well accelerate. That means that a dollar saved today is going to be worth less tomorrow. And we now know that the Overlords have no problems weaponizing the current fiat currency-based banking and finance system for political purposes. Frankly, here on the farm, we are torn about what to do in terms of financial management. So as usual, we try to think global and act local. In our case, that translates to sinking cash into upgrading farm infrastructure - fences, buildings etc. using local sawmills and skilled labor. We recommend that you do your own diligence and thinking about how you and your family should plan and adapt.

Our “preparedness” list:

● Keep your cars close to filled with gas or diesel. Fuel prices will go up and availability will go down.

● If you keep a diesel tank for your rural farm, keep it filled.

● If you have liquid petroleum, keep the tanks well stocked. Also, if you have a

● Bar-be-que, keep the tanks full or charcoal on hand. That way there is a way to cook and boil water.

● If you have a fireplace, make sure you have a supply of wood or fuel - if it is still cold in your area.

● If you have a generator (for you rural folks), make sure it is working and has fuel.

● Now is the time to spend your money wisely. Despite the inflation, having savings in some form of liquid assets provides security. Our friends that are finance specialists are advising us that a major economic disruption is likely, and that in those situations (wall street crash, for example), cash is king.

● Consider buying used. Particularly for big items.

● Have back-up systems in place. Such as data storage (disk drives, icloud, etc). Be prepared for internet disruptions.

● Do not expect to see the price of cars to come down - availability of new cars will continue to be low.

●Supply chains/availability for computers, machines, electronics, car parts, etc. will be disrupted (even more than they already are).

● Keep a little cash at home.

● Keep your credit up and your card balances low - when the economy gets tough, loans become harder to get.

● Airplane tickets will go up. If you know about upcoming travel, book now.

● Keep the basics well stocked. Make sure you have supplies to live comfortably for at least two weeks, it not more.

● For imported items, be prepared for them to become harder to come by, and adjust accordingly by both stocking up when possible and/or finding substitutions. Just to illustrate in our case, supply chain for tractor parts has become a problem.

● If you are a “prepper”, this may be the time to re-evaluate and re-stock.

● Keep water in the house. We can and should expect electric grid issues - unknown where they will occur and for how long. For me, that means a 3 day supply drinking water for people and animals. Also, a bucket or source of water kept near the house for flushing toilets.

● So just keep the basics on hand, and prepare for black and brown outs. They may or may not happen, but be prepared.

● Work on your metabolic health. That means working on weight and getting more exercise.

●Vitamin D3 (yes, make sure your blood levels are high enough), Zinc and a good multi-vitamin are important. If you need a primer or have been living under a rock, go to the FLCCC website for more information.

● Don’t let your prescriptions and medications run low.

● Use urgent care centers, instead of hospitals. 1) the wait time and cost is generally lower and 2) COVID policies are still in place - hospitals are still not safe places and should be avoided, unless acutely ill. Luckily, we have lots of choices for alternatives in the USA. Staying healthy is the best way to stay out of hospitals.

● Seek alternative news sources. Do not rely on a single source for information.

● The US government will give us a load of propaganda in times of stress. Listen with a “critical ear” and remember that the objectivity of most social media and search engines have been compromised.

●Most main stream media has been infiltrated with government spooks (see Glenn Greenwald’s article on this). Often what the media reports is not accurate or at least is incomplete. I also highly recommend Greenwald’s Substack as a good primary news source, along with Bannon’s war room. As an aside, I just read an interesting piece on US war propaganda here.

● As an aside, in the case of an Internet black-out or brown out, many are building AM and ham radio capabilities. Even now, AM radio - some of which is broadcast from out of country (such as Mexico), is a good place for news in a major emergency, if other sources are down.

●COVID and health related information is still being withheld. The US government has had total regulatory capture by the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Do not rely on main stream news sources as your primary information source for COVID.

Be flexible.

Community - keep an eye on how you can help your neighbors and friends. Particularly those who are elderly, frail and/or isolated. Feel free to write what you are doing to prepare for the “worst” while hoping for the best.

For now, unless the government says otherwise, the best thing we can all do is live our lives. Keep yourself busy doing what you love. Whether it be hiking, reading, gardening, going to events, church, volunteering, whatever. Don’t isolate yourself from your family and friends. It is through our connections to others that we remain centered. Remember the teaching of Dr. Matttias Desmet- the root cause of mass formation psychosis is social isolation. Free floating anxiety is not good for our health or mental wellbeing - it is how we fall under the spell of the mass formation hypnosis. So, live your life - just be a bit more prepared to whatever bad may happen.

Be that leader for your family and friends. Stay connected. Stay strong. Stay centered. Be prepared. And please be well, friends."

- https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/

"Massive Price Increases At Family Dollar! What's Next?"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures with Danno, 3/2/22:

"Massive Price Increases At Family Dollar! What's Next?"

"In today's vlog we are at Family Dollar with empty shelves everywhere! We are here to check out a massive increase in prices, and a massive food shortage! It's getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products!"

Gregory Mannarino, "Commodities Have Gone PARABOLIC! This Is What You Should Be Doing Now"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 3/2/22:

"Commodities Have Gone PARABOLIC! 

This Is What You Should Be Doing Now"

- https://traderschoice.net/about-traders-choice/

Musical Interlude: Leonard Cohen,"Everybody Knows"

Full screen recommended.

Leonard Cohen,"Everybody Knows"

"How It Really Is"

 

"A Mean Reversion"

"A Mean Reversion"

by Bill Bonner

"That's life,

(That's life)

That's what all the people say,

You're riding high in April, shot down in May.

But I know I'm gonna change that tune

When I'm back on top, back on top in June."

~ Frank Sinatra, “That’s Life”

Youghal, Ireland - "Ouch! Our small holdings of Russian stocks are down almost 60% so far this year. But you’re probably wondering: what are we doing investing in Russian stocks in the first place? Ah, dear reader… let us explain.

As we’ve seen, the markets move in great, generational sweeps from high to low and back to high again. The general rule (and we’re not divulging any trade secrets here) is to buy low, and sell high. Many people have tried it the other way around, but the results have been disappointing.

We bought Russian stocks as part of a special program – mostly for fun – in which we invest in the worst-performing markets, counting on ‘reversion to the mean’ and ‘contrarianism’ to turn them around. After all, a single company can go down and never get up again. So can an entire industry. But not a whole country. Often beset by worries, nevertheless, they tend to survive.

Horsesh*t Predictions: In 1900, there was a major industry involved in cleaning the horse manure from city streets. New York, for example, had an estimated 50,000 horses, producing 15 to 35 pounds of manure, each, per day. That was 2.5 million pounds per day. The street cleaners were unable to keep up with it. One ‘expert’ forecast that London’s streets would soon be buried under 9 feet of manure. That was the great climate disaster of 1900… and it was, well, horsesh*t.

So too were the many crises and delusions to come along later. Child labor in the factories was a bugaboo in the early 1900s. Then came a war ‘to end war.’ A “permanent plateau” in the stock market was the forecast of the greatest economic expert of the era, Irving Fisher, in 1929. Bolshevism was seen as a threat to mankind in the 1930s, 1940s… followed by communism in the 1950s. In the 1960s, leading economists were still predicting that the centrally planned Soviet Economy would overtake the US. In the ‘70s, climatologists were concerned about ‘global cooling.’ In the ‘80s, Japan’s model of government-led capitalism seemed unstoppable. Then came the dot.com bubble… in which it was predicted that growth rates would now speed up because the new Internet made the world’s knowledge available to everyone. Why live in darkness, when the light switch was now just a click away?

Then we discovered ‘terrorists’ in our midst… followed by Ben Bernanke’s hallucination: “We may not have an economy on Monday,” said he, in 2008. More recently, Covid was advertised as though it was the Great Plague… and now, the Russians are threatening our western civilization.

But since the advent of the 21st century, US GDP growth rates have been cut in half. War is still in the news. Experts believe the world is heating up. Japan seems to have fallen into a permanent, on-again, off-again, slump. Bolshevism has disappeared almost everywhere, except perhaps on US university campuses. Terrorists, too, have practically disappeared from the headlines. The economy is still in business. Covid has left more people on Planet Earth than it found. And child labor? In the 50 states, we can scarcely find a factory for anyone to labor in.

From these facts, laid down before us like stepping stones across a woodland stream, we could probably take a leap to many different insights. But rather than risk a slip, we will merely conclude that ‘things change.’ ‘Tout casse, tout passe,’ as the French say. Everything keeps moving… the tides ebb and flow, as the ancient rhythms of life continue. You’re riding high in April; shot down in May. That’s life.

Most of the People, Most of the Time: Russian stocks were shot down long ago. But they didn’t die. Rarely does a whole country go out of business. Instead, it goes up and down. When we bought them, Russian stocks were among the most unloved equities on the planet. And yet, they were real companies, operating in a real country… with very sophisticated engineers… a large domestic market and all of Europe just a pipeline away. And now, they are even cheaper.

But wait. Russia is a pariah. Russians are ‘bad guys.’ The world has turned against them. And Russian assets are stranded, doomed. Yesterday, the Russian stock market was closed. In New York, the losses mounted up so high, trading in Russian shares was halted. But a few Russian stocks and ETFs still traded in London… and it was a bloodbath. The two leading Russian stock ETFs dropped 25% each. Russian bonds, too, have collapsed; they are now selling for about 33 cents on the dollar. The Russian ruble is losing value on world markets; in Russia, the physical currency is hard to get, with long lines of people trying to make withdrawals. And Sberbank, whacked by sanctions and thought to be near bankruptcy, lost 75% of its value.

Did investors overreact? Did politicians? In private life, most people get along tolerably well. They pass through intersections without damage. If they earn sixpence, they spend sixpence, not more. They grumble, but render unto Caesar that which he asks.

But in public life, most people are wrong, most of the time, about most everything. Humans take their cues from others, especially their leaders. They go to restaurants that are popular… read the books that others are reading… and wear the clothes they’ve seen on their friends and influencers. They tend to bunch up, unite behind jackass leaders, trample each other in a stampede, and pay too much for their favorite investments.

But there’s always more to the story; eventually, it comes out… In the short run, says Warren Buffett, the stock market is a ‘voting machine.’ The mob votes for stocks like it votes for politicians – electing loudmouth buffoons and slick frauds. The contrarian takes the other side of the trade. He votes for the underdog, and waits for June."

- bonnerprivateresearch@substack.com

○

Frank Sinatra, “That’s Life”

Must Watch! Greg Hunter, "Casualties Worse than WWI & WWII Combined"

"Casualties Worse than WWI & WWII Combined"

by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

"Renowned geopolitical and financial cycle expert Charles Nenner says his analysis shows the world is entering into a huge war cycle that could last for many years. Nenner says, “The war cycle is such that there is great danger for a huge war. What I have been writing about is the big danger that Russia, Iran and China will get together. China is watching how we deal with Ukraine before they start with Taiwan. I think that is the big one. The West is in disarray, and it does not have a line on where to go or what to do. This war cycle is going to be bad, and I’ll tell you why. We do price targets on markets and war cycles, and if you look at the price targets, it tells me that the casualties are going to be much higher than in the First and Second World War. So, it’s not going to be a joke.”

Nenner says his cycles are telling him the casualties in the next war could top 175 million. Nenner also sees that world leaders are not taking this seriously and points out, “What’s going on in this country (America), what are they busy with and what is it compared to a nuclear war? Nothing. Even Biden’s decisions now are based on public relations. If the United States were independent with oil, like it was before with the pipeline and like Trump pushed, we would not be in this situation that oil could go up another $50 per barrel. It looks like now oil can go to $150 per barrel, and it can even get to $250 per barrel.”

War abroad is not the only thing to look out for. Nenner says, “I think there is going to be a lot of civil unrest. When Rome was burning, and we are talking about 2,000 years ago, the Senators were discussing if angels were male or female. This is while Rome was burning. This world is burning, and we are discussing now what kind of a sign you have to put on a public restroom. It’s the same situation. Nobody takes the lead in the big situations. The cycle for civil unrest has just turned up, and it’s going to get much worse. You can imagine if Biden loses to Trump (in 2024), what is going to happen over here? I have never seen people so much on the edge. Look at what going on with masks. People are ready to kill you because you disagree on what you think about masks.”

Nenner thinks the stock market can go down in the next leg to “15,000 on the DOW.” After that, there would be more downside pain in stocks to follow over the next few years. Nenner is still forecasting the Dow to bottom out around 5,000. Nenner thinks the U.S. dollar cycle is headed down, while interest rates are headed up. Meanwhile, Nenner predicts the bond market will tank, but it’s getting a little bounce at the moment. Nenner sees inflation sticking around for some time to come and gold going up in a long-term cycle starting in earnest mid-April. (There is much more in the 30-minute interview.)"

- https://usawatchdog.com/

Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he goes One-on-One

 with renowned cycle analyst and financial expert Charles Nenner.

- https://rumble.com/

There is free information and analysis on CharlesNenner.com.

"America’s 'Unipolar' Moment Is Over"

"America’s 'Unipolar' Moment Is Over"

by Byron King

Editor’s note: The world changed forever on Feb. 24, 2022. America’s post-Cold War “unipolar” moment has ended. That’s the argument of former naval officer Byron King, who served as an aide to the Chief of Naval Operations, the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Navy. Today, Byron breaks it all down for you.

"First, a necessary formality: As a retired U.S. Navy officer, I’m obliged to tell you that what follows are personal opinions. I do not speak for the Navy, Department of Defense or U.S. government. Having said that, let’s roll… Last week - Feb. 24, 2022 - marked the end of America’s post-Cold War, so-called “unipolar” era.

That is, American military hegemony is now over. Russia has reasserted its role as a global great power. Russia saw a critical threat embodied in the idea of Ukraine in NATO, and the country acted. Diplomacy failed, and Russia’s President Putin and his generals rolled the tanks. Wise or unwise? Time will tell. It depends on who writes the history books. For now, though, the world has changed. And we have a new war, and not a little one either.

This Ukraine expedition is a major, continental-style European war, underway adjacent to several NATO-aligned nations, all happening in a Texas-sized country with a population of about 44 million.

You Can’t Trust “the News”: Russia is employing a full range of modern combat power. This involves hundreds of thousands of troops; tens of thousands of pieces of mechanized equipment; many thousands of aircraft; incalculable levels of ammunition and all manner of systems in the arenas of electronics, cyber and space.

If you have trouble processing what’s happening, it’s understandable. Whether you’re plain-old Joe or Jane Citizen, or President Biden and his senior staff, this new version of Russia and its application of combat power is unfamiliar, if not unnerving.

Meanwhile, and with this in mind, it’s critical to understand that essentially all “war news” and imagery you see comes at you in a highly filtered manner. Most stories in Western news originate from the Ukraine side and are processed through various U.S./NATO/European government and corporate-level outlets. That is, you are NOT seeing Russian accounts of either the lead-up to or conduct of military operations.

Most initial reports in war are wrong. They tend to be random and based merely on where someone happened to be at a certain time. Basically, the “front-line news” is a collection of sequential anecdotes that cumulatively fail to tell the broad story.

The Broad Story: OK, so what is this “broad story” of which I speak? Well, let’s look at a map from one leading outlet that typically sets the narrative in the U.S. and West in general, The New York Times. “Russian Gains in Ukraine,” per The New York Times:

Here, the Times shows Russian incursions (in red) into Ukraine. To casual observers, unschooled in concepts of military operations, it appears that Russian troops have not moved far, just sporadic advances along borderlands. Meanwhile, other Western news accounts (New York Times and many others) describe how Russian columns are being held up by stiff resistance, or for lack of fuel or supplies, or by effective Ukrainian counterattacks.

Well, no doubt the Russians have taken losses, even serious losses in more than a few locales and engagements. There’s online video of entire supply columns torn to shreds, and wrecked tanks, crashed helicopters and jets and much more.

Plus, accounts of Russian units stalled for lack of fuel, which indicates problems with logistics if not Ukrainian sabotage in rear areas. But anecdotes don’t explain the operational story. Here’s a different map from a Ukrainian source that does a better job to display broad, operational information.

Are the Russians Really Losing? The guy who prepared this map is not a military expert, but his rough drawings are good enough to explain quite a bit. The map reveals Russia’s concept of operation far differently, as compared with The New York Times’ map.

In essence, instead of a hit-or-miss scatter of Russian incursions along the borders, this map clarifies the operational plan: broad movements into Ukraine along wide fronts north, east and south. From the north, Russian combat power moved south toward Kyiv, displayed on the left part of the map. Evidently the Russian army is setting up for an encirclement and eventual surrender or capture. On that, we’ll have to wait and see.

Note that Russian forces have bypassed most large cities (blue circles). Russian forces just surround them and will either accept surrender or capture them later on – shades of Grozny, if you followed that operation in the late 1990s.

Over east, the operational plan is clear. Russian forces have moved south to positions behind Ukrainian forces that have long been arrayed to confront Luhansk and Donetsk. And from the south Russians have moved north from Crimea and via coastal landings on the north side of the Sea of Azov. (Note that the coastal city of Mariupol is surrounded as well.) Here’s the point: Russian forces have effectively encircled the bulk of Ukraine’s army, which is positioned in those eastern regions.

The Russian “Kill Box”: Now, the question is whether or not Ukrainian forces (blue dashes) can exit from this fast-closing Russian pincer movement. And to be militarily frank it may already be too late. There’s a massive Russian encirclement in progress. Even if Russian forces don’t totally close the gap, that north-south stretch west of Ukrainian forces is what we call a “kill box.” Russian artillery and missiles can easily blanket the entire space with firepower.

Looking ahead just a few days, Ukraine’s military power in the east will be totally surrounded and trapped, like in a giant version of Stalingrad. Ukrainian commanders and troops will have the bitter choice to fight and be crushed, or to offer an orderly surrender.

Now, let’s reconsider those feel-good videos of Ukraine citizens mixing Molotov cocktails and practicing with AK-47s back in Kyiv. It doesn’t matter. For them, it’s over because Russia’s plan is to win the war in the east by wrecking Ukraine military power in the field. We can speculate over whether Russia will occupy the entire eastern region of Ukraine, for example all lands east of the Dnieper River. That remains to be seen. Does Russia need the farmland? Or would it make a good buffer zone for Russia proper? Time will tell. For now though, let’s return to larger, geostrategic issues.

It Takes Two to Tango: Again, it’s critical to understand that America’s unipolar moment has just ended. Russia is now able and willing to throw its military weight around, and its conventional forces are immensely powerful despite what you might hear from mainstream media. (They’re all drunk, their equipment stinks, blah, blah. NO!)

From the outset, Russia wanted U.S./European guarantees that Ukraine would never become part of NATO, and assurances not to place powerful weapons near Russian borders. It was a mirror image of the U.S. and Cuban Missile Crisis of 1963. But in a feat of truly idiotic diplomacy, the U.S. and NATO turned Russia down and now we have a war.

In response to the war, the U.S./West have imposed sanctions on Russia, including restrictions on access to SWIFT banking channels. Well, we’ll see how it unfolds because Russia and China have long anticipated this and they have a backdoor system to clear accounts, a Plan B so to speak.

Of course, it’s possible that sanctions will backfire against the West. Russia can curtail airline overflight rights, and thus disrupt travel and commerce with Asia and elsewhere. And Russia can curtail oil and gas exports to the West, driving up energy prices. Or curtail exports of critical materials like aerospace-grade titanium, or even the elemental gas neon which is critical for manufacturing silicon chips.

And what happens if (when?) Russia – and perhaps China – team up to create a new, gold-backed global currency that undercuts dollar hegemony? Jim Rickards has discussed this for well over a decade, and it’s definitely in the cards. So, like the fate of Kyiv and much else, we’ll just have to wait and see. Russia has planned this war for a long time, and the maps reveal deep operational thinking at work. All this while America’s 30-year era of unipolarity is over. There’s a different world unfolding."

- dailyreckoning.com

"Life..."

"Life is painful and messed up. It gets complicated at the worst of times, and sometimes you have no idea where to go or what to do. Lots of times people just let themselves get lost, dropping into a wide open, huge abyss. But that's why we have to keep trying. We have to push through all that hurts us, work past all our memories that are haunting us. Sometimes the things that hurt us are the things that make us strongest. A life without experience, in my opinion, is no life at all. And that's why I tell everyone that, even when it hurts, never stop yourself from living."

- Alysha Speer

"The joke was thinking you were ever really in charge of your life. You pressed your oar down into the water to direct the canoe, but it was the current that shot you through the rapids. You just hung on and hoped not to hit a rock or a whirlpool."

- Scott Turow

"Life's funny, chucklehead. You only get one and you don't want to throw it away. But you can't really live it at all unless you're willing to give it up for the things you love. If you're not at least willing to die for something - something that really matters - in the end you die for nothing."

- Andrew Klavan

Gerald Celente, "Unite For Peace Or Die For War"

Full screen recommended.

Strong language alert!

Gerald Celente, 3/1/22:

"Unite For Peace Or Die For War"

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

- https://trendsresearch.com/

"Panic Buying Bursts In China: Millions Rush To Hoard As Shortages Hit Food And Medicine Supplies"

Full screen recommended.

"Panic Buying Bursts In China: Millions Rush 

To Hoard As Shortages Hit Food And Medicine Supplies"

by Epic Economist

"A new wave of panic buying is fast spreading around the world as shortages become more extensive amid the worsening global tensions. In China, the threat of another lockdown in the city of Hong Kong is leaving supermarket shelves empty, as residents rush to stock up on food and medicine before they are required to stay confined at home.

In several countries of Europe, including France and the U.K., people have been panic buying gas in anticipation of fuel shortages and rising prices. Meanwhile, in the United States, the supply chain is at risk of further disruptions. Experts say that companies should brace for cyberattacks and a breakdown of domestic supply chains as Eastern nations retaliate against Western sanctions. Already, local reports have revealed that Americans are stocking up daily necessities to prepare for soaring inflation amid a potential escalation of the conflict. This week, consumers from all around the globe started panic buying and hoarding supplies in preparation for challenging days and weeks.

In Hong Kong, residents have wiped out supermarket shelves amid fears of compulsory mass testing and a city-wide lockdown. One resident told the paper that he had spent the last four days trying to get groceries through a popular supermarket’s online delivery service without success. A fresh SCMP report exposed that a wide range of goods, including eggs, pork, vegetables, bread, and shelf-stable items were sold out at most of the city’s stores. SCMP also highlighted that meat was in especially short supply after two local processing plants were forced to shut down for disinfection when workers tested positive at one of them. One local butcher surnamed Lai told SCMP that he has not received any fresh meat for weeks, and consumers are getting increasingly frustrated with the situation. "It's the worst I've ever seen in 20 years of business," the 42-year-old said.

On Monday, the government released a statement saying that food deliveries would not be interrupted and urged people not to start panic buying. But analysts argued that uncertainty and distrust were fuelling consumer habits."We have so many questions but all answers are 'to be confirmed'," Chan Ka-lok, an international politics scholar at Baptist University, wrote on social media. "Rush to buy and stock up, let the people decide how to live their life,” he added.

Tom Grundy, the editor of the Hong Kong Free Press news website, described the latest panic buying as "a massive failure of government communications". "Rules are changing every few days, u-turns, botched stats, poor data disclosure," he wrote on Twitter. Users revealed that exceedingly long lines are being formed at supermarkets all across the city, while others said that there was nothing left in their local stores, so they were resorting to online purchases to stock up on essential items.

Meanwhile, in France and the U.K., drivers are afraid that the worsening global conflict is about to trigger a major jump in gas prices and started panic buying fuel and lining up their cars outside gas stations. In both countries, gasoline prices have recently hit a record high, and regulatory agencies are alerting about yet another spike in the coming days as global oil prices soar to extraordinary levels. One driver wrote on Twitter: “Supply and demand! Please don’t go panic buying fuel because I really can’t afford it as it is.”Several European stations started to impose limits on the amount of fuel each driver could buy. In many countries, there were also reports of people panic-buying for food supplies and cash machines running out of money.

In America, local news is also reporting long lines at gas stations, with many locations completely running out of fuel as panic buying sets in. The most recent memory of a panic buying frenzy for gas in the U.S. amounts to just four weeks ago, when Texans faced snowstorms and freezing temperatures, in an event they called “Icemageddon”. Last year, arctic temperatures led to broken pipelines and interrupted the distribution of water and the supplies of energy all across the state. Both at the pump and stores all across the country, people are stocking up necessities while they still can. On the other hand, supply chain experts are cautioning that Western sanctions are likely to spark Russian retaliation and consequently led to further supply chain bottlenecks, shortages, and higher inflation. Things are getting increasingly turbulent all over the globe, and people are just realizing that things are never going to come back to where they used to be. The worst is yet to come, and we all should prepare accordingly."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com/

Musical Interlude: Paul Mauriat, "Love is Blue" (1968)

Full screen recommended.

Paul Mauriat, "Love is Blue" (1968)

"A Look to the Heavens"

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

 

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

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

○

"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in

 heaven where the love of our lost ones pours 

through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." 

~ Eskimo saying

Chet Raymo, “To Sleep, Perchance To Dream”

“To Sleep, Perchance To Dream”

by Chet Raymo

“What is more gentle than a wind in summer?

What is more soothing than a pretty hummer

That stays one moment in an open flower,

And buzzes cheerily from bower to bower?

What is more tranquil than a musk-rose blowing

In a green island, far from all men's knowing?

More healthful than the leafiness of dales?

More secret than a nest of nightingales?”

What indeed? The poet Keats answers his own questions: Sleep. Soft closer of our eyes. I've reached an age when I find myself occasionally nodding off in the middle of the day, an open book flopped on my chest. Also, more lying awake in the dark hours of the night, re-running the tapes of the day. And, in the fragile moments of nighttime unconsciousness, dreaming dreams that reach all the way back to my childhood.

I've read the books about sleep and dreaming. There has been lots of research, but not much consensus about why we sleep or dream. Sleep seems to be pretty universal among animals. Who knows whether animals dream. Do we sleep to restore the soma? To knit the raveled sleeve of care? Process memories? Find safety from predators? After 50 years of work, the sleep researcher William Dement opined: "As far as I know, the only reason we need to sleep that is really, really solid is because we get sleepy."

The Latin poet Martial supposed that sleep "makes darkness brief," a worry-free way to get through the scary hours of the night when wolves howl at the mouth of the cave (and goblins stir under the bed). That hardly explains my dropping off after lunch into a dreamless stupor that I neither desire nor welcome.

“Low murmurer of tender lullabies!

Light hoverer around our happy pillows!

Wreather of poppy buds, and weeping willows!”

Not quite! There are the nightmares too. The tossing and turning. The hoo-has. But enough of this idle speculation. I'm getting sleepy...”

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

"A Perpetual Illusion..."

"Human life is thus only a perpetual illusion; men deceive and flatter each other. No one speaks of us in our presence as he does of us in our absence. Human society is founded on mutual deceit; few friendships would endure if each knew what his friend said of him in his absence, although he then spoke in sincerity and without passion. Man is then only disguise, falsehood, and hypocrisy, both in himself and in regard to others. He does not wish any one to tell him the truth; he avoids telling it to others, and all these dispositions, so removed from justice and reason, have a natural root in his heart."

- Blaise Pascal