Thursday, January 5, 2023

"Ukraine – The Big Push To End The War" (Excerpt)

"Ukraine – 
The Big Push To End The War" (Excerpt)
by Moon of Alabama

Excerpt: "Over Christmas I had a short talk with a relative about the war in Ukraine. He asked me who would win and was astonished when I said: “Ukraine has zero chance to win.” That person reads some German mainstream news sites and watches the public TV networks. With those sources of ‘information’ he was made to believe that Ukraine was winning the war.

One may excuse that with him never having been in a military and not being politically engaged. But still there are some basic numbers that let one conclude from the beginning that Russia, the much bigger, richer and more industrialized country, had clearly all advantages. My relative obviously never had had that thought.

The ‘western’ propaganda is still quite strong. However, as I pointed out in March last year propaganda does not change a war and lies do not win it. It's believability is shrinking.

Former Lt.Col. Alex Vershinin, who in June pointed out that industrial warfare is back and the ‘West’ was not ready to wage it, has a new recommendable piece out which analyses the tactics on both sides, looks ahead and concludes that Russia will almost certainly win the war:

Wars of attrition are won through careful husbandry of one’s own resources while destroying the enemy’s. Russia entered the war with vast materiel superiority and a greater industrial base to sustain and replace losses. They have carefully preserved their resources, withdrawing every time the tactical situation turned against them. Ukraine started the war with a smaller resource pool and relied on the Western coalition to sustain its war effort. This dependency pressured Ukraine into a series of tactically successful offensives, which consumed strategic resources that Ukraine will struggle to replace in full, in my view. The real question isn’t whether Ukraine can regain all its territory, but whether it can inflict sufficient losses on Russian mobilized reservists to undermine Russia’s domestic unity, forcing it to the negotiation table on Ukrainian terms, or will Russian’ attrition strategy work to annex an even larger portion of Ukraine.

Russian domestic unity has only grown over the war. As Gilbert Doctorow points out wars make nations. The war does not only unite certain nationalistic parts of Ukraine who still dream of retaking Crimea. It also unites all of Russia. Unlike Ukraine Russia will be strengthened by it."
Full, highly recommended, article here:

"Country's Dire Warning: 'Stockpile 20 Months Worth of Food'"

Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper 1/5/23:
"Country's Dire Warning:
 'Stockpile 20 Months Worth of Food'"
"Countries are hoarding supplies for 2 years of hell,
 'white lung and wild variant is spreading'"
Comments here:

"The Pain Is Getting Worse; Inflationary Depression Unavoidable; Markets In For A Rude Awakening

Jeremiah Babe, 1/5/23:
"The Pain Is Getting Worse; Inflationary Depression Unavoidable; 
Markets In For A Rude Awakening
Comments here:

"20 Food Products Getting More Expensive In The Months Ahead"

Full screen recommended.
"20 Food Products Getting More 
Expensive In The Months Ahead"
By Epic Economist

"We've just gone through a year of record food inflation, and now we're being told to brace for further price increases at the grocery stores as retailers and manufacturers cope with a series of challenges that go from reduced supplies to higher transportation costs to explosive commodity costs. In fact, the latest Food Price Report released on Monday estimates that food prices will see a 7% increase on top of the 10.4% growth seen over the past twelve months. That will add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the average family’s annual expenses, says Samantha Taylor, one of the researchers behind the report.

“Living is expensive, and we are not bringing good news,” Taylor stresses. The report projects that price hikes will occur across all food categories. Researchers noted that the typical American family of four is oing to be forced to shell out an average of $16,288 on food over the course of 2023 - an increase of $1,065 from this year. A two-adult household will spend $7,711, a jump of more than $500 from 2022.

Consumers are starting to notice that even cheaper meat options are facing some disturbing price increases lately. Tyson Foods, Conagra, and other meat processors have actually notified their retail customers in recent weeks that they will hike prices in January for frozen and refrigerated meats. Some of the products that will see increases include Ball Park hot dogs and burgers, State Fair corn dogs, Jimmy Dean frozen breakfast, Hillshire Farm sausage, and lunch meat, and Hebrew National and Oscar Mayer hot dogs, according to supplier letters to wholesale customers viewed by CNN Business. "All the packaged meat suppliers are coming to the price increase party," said one industry insider who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their company's relationship with suppliers. The price increases will range from 10.9% to 12.6%, CNN reports.

Soaring chicken prices are also making consumers turn to cheaper options, and chicken nuggets have become a staple in many households. Sales have grown by 50% in the third quarter of 2022. But, unfortunately, a shrinking chicken flock and competition with restaurants and fast-food chains are making the price of this consumer favorite jump by 10.9%, and further increases are expected later this year as supplies continue to contract. Even major chains like Burger King are suffering from those price swings. A few months back, the chain announced that it was going to reduce the number of nuggets in meals from ten pieces to 8, and also that consumers would have to pay more to get them. Similarly, Yogurt king Danone just revealed plans of hiking prices over the next couple of months, and other food makers are likely to follow suit. A smaller national cow herd is driving milk production to the lowest levels in almost a decade. Consequently, manufacturers competing over the available supply and that competition is also contributing to a spike in prices. After rising by nearly 14% over the past 12 months, yogurt prices can see another 9% to 11% increase in the first half of 2023.

We hope you have prepared for the grocery shortages and “price readjustments,” companies and retailers have been warning about. But if you didn’t, it’s not too late if you start now. With all that said, we decided to list some of the items that will be seeing price spikes in the next few weeks and months."

Gerald Celente, "Middle East Meltdown; Office Building Bust; Be Prepared"

Full screen recommended.
Strong language alert!
Gerald Celente, Trends Journal 1/5/23:
"Middle East Meltdown; Office Building Bust; Be Prepared"
Comments here:

Gregory Mannarino, "The Potential For A Massive Stock Market Drop Is Rising. Keep Your Eyes On This!"

Your guide...
Gregory Mannarino, PM 1/5/23:
"The Potential For A Massive Stock Market Drop
 Is Rising. Keep Your Eyes On This!"
Comments here:

Musical Interlude: Runrig, "Running to the Light"

Full screen recommended.
Runrig, "Running to the Light"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“About 70 million light-years distant, gorgeous spiral galaxy NGC 289 is larger than our own Milky Way. Seen nearly face-on, its bright core and colorful central disk give way to remarkably faint, bluish spiral arms. The extensive arms sweep well over 100 thousand light-years from the galaxy's center. 
At the lower right in this sharp, telescopic galaxy portrait the main spiral arm seems to encounter a small, fuzzy elliptical companion galaxy interacting with enormous NGC 289. Of course spiky stars are in the foreground of the scene. They lie within the Milky Way toward the southern constellation Sculptor.”

Chet Raymo, “Take My Arm”

“Take My Arm”
by Chet Raymo

“I’m sure I have referenced here before the poems of Grace Schulman, she who inhabits that sweet melancholy place between “the necessity and impossibility of belief.” Between, too, the necessity and impossibility of love.

Belief and love. They have so much in common, yet are as distinct as self and other. How strange that two people can hitch their lives together, on a whim, say, or wild intuition, knowing little if nothing about the other’s hiddenness, about things that even the other does not fully understand and couldn’t articulate even if he did. Blind, deaf, dumb, they leap into the future, hoping to fly, and, for a moment, soaring, like Icarus, sunward. The necessity of wax. The impossibility of wax. We “fall” in love, they say. Schulman: “We slog. We tramp the road of possibility. Give me your arm.”

The Poet: Wendell Berry, “Leavings”

“Leavings”

“In time a man disappears
from his lifelong fields, from
the streams he has walked beside,
from the woods where he sat and waited.
Thinking of this, he seems to
miss himself in those places
as if always he has been there.
But first he must disappear,
and this he foresees with hope,
with thanks. Let others come.”

- Wendell Berry
“Perhaps as he was lying awake then, his life may have passed before him – his early hopeful struggles, his manly successes and prosperity, his downfall in his declining years, and his present helpless condition – no chance of revenge against Fortune, which had had the better of him -neither name nor money to bequeath – a spent-out, bootless life of defeat and disappointment, and the end here! Which, I wonder, brother reader, is the better lot, to die prosperous and famous, or poor and disappointed? To have, and to be forced to yield; or to sink out of life, having played and lost the game? That must be a strange feeling, when a day of our life comes and we say, “Tomorrow, success or failure won’t matter much, and the sun will rise, and all the myriads of mankind go to their work or their pleasure as usual, but I shall be out of the turmoil.”
- William Makepeace Thackeray, “Vanity Fair”

"A Great Madness Sweeps The Land"

"A Great Madness Sweeps The Land"
by Charles Hugh Smith

‘In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, 
parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.’
- Friedrich Nietzsche 

"A great madness sweeps the land. There are no limits on extremes in greed, credulity, convictions, inequality, bombast, recklessness, fraud, corruption, arrogance, hubris, pride, over-reach, self-righteousness and confidence in the rightness of one's opinions. Extremes only become more extreme even as the folly of previous extremes wearies rationality.

Imaginary sins are conjured out of thin air to convict the innocent while those guilty of the most egregious fraud and corruption are lauded as saviors.

The national mood is aggrieved and bitter. The luxuries of self-righteousness, indignation, entitlement and resentment have impoverished the national spirit. Bankrupted by these excesses, what little treasure remains is squandered on plots of petty revenge.

Blindness to the late hour is cheered as optimism, confidence in the false gods of technology is sanctified while doubters of the technocratic theocracy are crucified as irredeemable infidels.

Witch-hunts and show trials are the order of the day as those who cannot stomach the party line are obsessively purged, as healthy skepticism is condemned as a mortal sin by brittle true believers who secretly fear the failure of their cult.

Mired in a putrid sewer of suspected subversion and disloyalty to The One True Cause, heretics are everywhere to those caught up in the mass hysteria. In this choking atmosphere of toxic hubris, self-righteousness, indignation, entitlement and resentment, humility is for losers, prudence is for losers, caution is for losers, skeptical inquiry is for losers.

Completely untethered from cause and effect, those confident in the inevitability of a glorious future of unlimited expansion cling to past glory as proof of future glory, even as their hubris leads only to a treacherous path of decay and decline. As they stumble into the abyss, their final cries are of surprise that confidence alone is not enough.

Those who see the madness for what it is have only one escape: go to ground, fade from public view, become self-reliant and weather the coming storm in the nooks and crannies where cause and effect, skeptical inquiry, humility, prudence and thrift can still be nurtured."
o

"The Fabric Of Our Society Is Coming Apart At The Seams Right In Front Of Our Eyes"

"The Fabric Of Our Society Is Coming Apart 
At The Seams Right In Front Of Our Eyes"
By Michael Snyder

"One rule that I have always lived by is that crazy people should be avoided. But what good is that rule now that our entire society has started to go completely nuts? Everywhere you look, the fabric of our society is being completely shredded. The thin veneer of civilization that we all used to be able to take for granted is rapidly disappearing, and violence often erupts for seemingly no reason at all. You simply cannot have a “civilization” without civilized people, and the truth is that we are becoming less civilized with each passing year. Sadly, this is particularly true for our young people. Most of them have been brought through our completely amoral system of public education, and most of them have had their minds severely warped by thousands upon thousands of hours of mental garbage that masquerades as entertainment. As a result, many of them behave like lunatics, and the streets of our cities are no longer safe.

One of the reasons why so many people like to interact with others through phones and video screens is because the real world has become just so hazardous. A video that was trending on social media during the holiday season is a perfect example of this. An absolutely massive brawl recently erupted at a Waffle House in Austin, Texas, and it got so much attention that Fox News even took notice“Waffle House” is trending on Twitter in reaction to a video of an employee deflecting and slapping down a chair that was thrown at her during a fight at one of the chain’s restaurants in Austin, Texas."

The original video, which is more than two minutes long, shows the lead-up and fight between multiple Waffle House customers and employees. The employee who was struck with two chairs has gone viral for her quick reflexes and impressive deflection. This brawl has been watched millions upon millions of times, and the reason why it became so popular is because many viewers found it to be extremely entertaining. In particular, many were absolutely fascinated by the Waffle House employee that was seemingly able to deflect chairs that were thrown at her with a flick of her armShe is being called “Waffle House Girl”, and people are joking that she is a new superhero.

But where are all the people that are crying out in anguish for what has happened to this generation of young people? An entire generation of young adults seems to have no moral foundation whatsoever, and that has dire implications for the future of our society. Every day, there are more brawl videos featuring our young people on social media. They are brawling in restaurants, they are brawling at Walmart, they are brawling at sporting events, they are brawling on the subway and they are brawling in the streets. And we just act like all of this is perfectly normal.

These days, if you choose to use public transportation you are literally putting your life on the line. One 78-year-old man that lives in Oregon recently found this out the hard way. He was brutally attacked by a crazed 25-year-old lunatic that tried to chew his face off for apparently no reason at all. When authorities finally arrived, they could “see the victim’s skull”

"A suspect is in custody after a grisly attack on an elderly man on a MAX platform in Gresham early Tuesday morning, according to police. At about 2:17 a.m., officers responded to the Cleveland Station at 1200 Northeast 8th Street where witnesses reported an attack and a lot of blood. Officers found the attacker still on top of the victim, a 78-year-old man from Hillsboro, and pulled him off. According to police, the suspect “had chewed off the victim’s ear and part of his face. The injury was so severe that responders could see the victim’s skull.”

This sort of an attack on a 78-year-old man doesn’t make any sense at all. But this is the society that we live in now. In fact, senseless violence is even happening right outside of the White House…"A man allegedly beat another man to death with a metal pipe Wednesday in Washington, D.C., near the White House. A jogger found the man at the Ellipse park in downtown Washington, D.C., and then found a nearby Secret Service agent, according to Fox 5. Police were able to obtain video footage that shows an altercation in the same area at around 6:30 a.m."

If they can’t even keep the area around the White House safe, do you really think that they are able to protect you? Hordes of ruthless predators are roaming our streets, and they just keep getting younger and younger.

In Milwaukee, a 10-year-old boy is being accused of murdering his own mother because she wouldn’t buy him a virtual reality headset…"A 10-year-old boy who is charged with fatally shooting his mother for refusing to buy him a VR headset seems more preoccupied with his gadgets than the murder as he faces trial, family members say. The Milwaukee boy is charged as an adult with first-degree reckless homicide in the November 21 killing of Quiana Mann, 44, who was shot in the face in their home.

The boy’s aunt Rhonda Reid told WTMJ-TV on Tuesday that when she talks to him in custody, he claims not to remember the shooting and quickly shifts the conversation to his favorite topic." 10-year-old kids aren’t supposed to know how to kill people. What in the world has happened to us?

At this point, homicide and suicide are two of the most common causes of death for young children in this country…"Homicide as well as suicide are common causes of death for young age groups in the United States, second only to accidents for those between the ages of 15 and 34. After that age, cancer, heart disease and more recently Covid-19 become bigger killers. Even for children aged 5-9, homicide is a big danger and was the fourth most common cause of death for the age group in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For those 10 to 14 years old, both homicide and suicide are among the top 4 killers."

Are you starting to get my point? Yes, the fabric of our society really is coming apart at the seams all around us. And the biggest criminals of all are those that are supposed to be running the entire show. The most heinous crimes are being committed by those that roam the halls of power, but our society has become so corrupt that most people simply do not care.

Just like so many great civilizations before us, we will surely fall if our current decline cannot be reversed. My hope is that my articles will shock people into realizing that we desperately need change. Because time is running out, and at this point most of the population is still in a deep state of sleep."

The Daily "Near You?"

Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"The Overall Theme For 2023 Will Be 'Here We Go!'”

Full screen recommended.
"The Overall Theme For 2023 Will Be 'Here We Go!'”
by Michael Snyder

"A lot of people tend to use the phrase “here we go” when they think that something really good is about to happen, and others tend to use it when they think that something really bad is about to happen. Needless to say, in this case I am using the phrase “here we go” as my overall theme for 2023 because I believe that we are going to be facing a really rough year. I expect that so many of the trends that have been percolating throughout 2022 will greatly accelerate over the next 12 months. So if you were not pleased with 2022, it is likely that you are really not going to enjoy what is ahead of us in 2023.

I certainly don’t need to tell any of you that 2022 was a very tough year for the economy. It truly was a year when “everything started to fall apart”, and lots of prominent voices on Wall Street are now warning that things will get even worse in 2023. But if the Federal Reserve were to suddenly reverse course and begin lowering interest rates, that would help the short-term economic outlook a great deal.

Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen. In fact, Fed officials are openly telling us that they expect interest rates to remain elevated for “some time” to come…"Federal Reserve officials reaffirmed their commitment to combating inflation at their December meeting and indicated that interest rates could remain elevated for “some time” until there is clear evidence that consumer prices are falling.

Minutes from the U.S. central bank’s Dec. 13-14 meeting released on Wednesday showed that policymakers worried that investors and financial markets could misinterpret their decision to raise interest rates more slowly as a sign they were ending their campaign to bring prices under control. Officials stressed that the smaller rate hike – 50 basis points, compared to the previous fourth 75-basis point-increases – “was not an indication of any weakening” and warned of continued risks on the inflation front."

So there is no hope on the horizon, and higher rates will continue to crush economic activity for the foreseeable future. And with each passing day, what is happening to the economy is becoming clearer and clearer. For example, we just learned that Salesforce will be laying off approximately 8,000 workers…"Salesforce plans to lay off about 10% of its workforce, or nearly 8,000 employees, and reduce its office space as tech companies cut costs amid concerns about the economy. In a note to employees Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff said the move comes as customers take a more cautious approach to spending as the economic “environment remains challenging.”

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There will be many more layoffs during the weeks and months to come. Another trend that I will be watching very closely in 2023 is the deterioration of faith in our politicians and in our governmental institutions.

The drama that is playing out in Washington right now is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Kevin McCarthy is a prototypical “swamp creature”, and that is why the establishment loves him. As Speaker of the House, McCarthy would be in charge of keeping the wheels of corruption in motion. There is so much campaign money that needs to be funneled in the right direction, so many important favors that need to get done, and so many critical deals that need to be orchestrated.

The Washington establishment can’t afford to have someone with principles as Speaker of the House, and so they are going to keep pushing for McCarthy. Of course McCarthy is deeply unpopular outside of Washington, but so was Nancy Pelosi. Sadly, that doesn’t really matter, because we we are not supposed to have a say in these battles. But the American people are getting fed up. They can see the endless corruption that is going on, and the popularity of both parties is sinking. And the truth is that politicians from both parties have been lying to our faces over and over again.

For many of our politicians, lying is as natural as breathing is. Unfortunately, we have gotten to a point where most of our politicians have lost all of their credibility, and a population that no longer has faith in the system is going to be exceedingly difficult to govern.

I also expect 2023 to be a year of great natural disasters. Throughout 2022, there was just one historic disaster after another. It seemed like I was constantly writing about droughts, famines, wildfires, hurricanes, giant storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and tornadoes. Unfortunately, I believe that the 12 months that are ahead of us will be even worse. If you doubt this, just consider what has been happening over the past few weeks.

In late December, a colossal “bomb cyclone” brought a “once in a generation storm” to the Midwest. In fact, the blizzard that we witnessed in Buffalo was the worst storm in the entire recorded history of the city. Just as we were recovering from that, a mammoth “atmospheric river” slammed into the west coast. Some parts of California received more than four feet of snow, and there was catastrophic flooding in other areas.

Now here we are just a few days later, and another “bomb cyclone” is about to hammer California. According to the National Weather Service, this is going to be a “truly brutal” storm…"Another powerful storm, known as a bomb cyclone, is hitting the California coast and the National Weather Service in the Bay Area is warning residents that the “truly brutal” system needs to be taken seriously. The system could trigger “immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life,” forecasters say. It comes on the heels of a round of record-breaking rainfall that slammed the same area over the weekend."

I have never seen two immensely powerful storms hit California so close together. There will be “widespread flooding”, and conditions in some parts of the state will be so dangerous that authorities are actually encouraging people to have “go bags” prepared in advance…"A dangerous storm system is slamming California, with meteorologists at the National Weather Service warning of imminent “widespread flooding, impassible roads, mudslides/landslides [and] rapid rises in rivers/creeks.” The system, which prompted the Weather Service to take the unusual step of urging residents to have “go bags” at the ready and prepare insurance documentation in advance, is set to unleash its harshest conditions Wednesday night into early Thursday.

Virtually the entirety of Northern and Central California is under flood watches and high-wind warnings, with damaging gusts to 60 mph possible. Strong to severe thunderstorms could be in the offing as well, in addition to 2 to 4 inches of rain in the lowlands and more in the mountains. In the highest terrain, the heavy rain will transition to up to 2 to 4 feet of heavy snow. Along the coast, beaches will be battered by large waves and areas of coastal flooding."

I also believe that 2023 will be a year when multiple pestilences run wild all over the planet. These days, it seems like a different disease is making global headlines each week. A few weeks ago everyone was talking about RSV, and then it was Strep A, and now this week a new “super variant” of COVID is deeply alarming authorities…"Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and chief of the COVID Risk Task Force at the New England Complex Systems Institute, has called XBB1.5 a “super variant.” XBB.1.5, which is mutated from the original Omicron strain, appears to be spreading faster than others because it is better at attaching itself to human cells. “A mutation in the virus is located at the site where it binds to the human cells,” said Wine. “To effectively infect humans, the virus needs to bind to cells, and XBB.1.5 seems to do this very tightly.” 

Next week it might be something else. At this point, there are billions of people that have compromised immune systems, and that means that the global population has been perfectly primed for whatever plagues we see in 2023.

I certainly can’t end this article without talking about war. I expect that both sides will continue to escalate the conflict in Ukraine in 2023, and it appears that the Russians may be preparing a massive new offensive campaign from the north. Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East continue to rise, and I believe that a war between Israel and Iran has become inevitable. On the other side of the planet, the Chinese could soon pull the trigger on an invasion of Taiwan, and if that happens we could also see North Korea invade South Korea while the U.S. is distracted with China.

I have been warning that these wars were coming for a long time, and once they erupt our world will never be the same again. In fact, our world is already radically different from what it was like just a few short years ago. So much changed throughout 2020, 2021 and 2022. But the pace of change is only going to accelerate even more as we get deeper into 2023. So buckle up and hold on tight, because here we go…"
o

"Not Such An Easy Business..."

“Over the years you get to see what a struggle life is for most people, how tough it is, how easy it is to be judgmental and criticize and stand outside of situations and impart your wisdom and judgment. But over the decades I've got more tolerant of people's flaws and mistakes. Everybody makes a lot of them. When you're younger you feel: "Hey, this person is evil" or "This person is a jerk" or stupid or "What's wrong with them?" Then you go through life and you think: "Well, it's not so easy." There's a lot of mystery and suffering and complication. Everybody's out there trying to do the best they can. And it's not such an easy business.”
- Woody Allen

"People are Really Broke to Start the New Year"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, iAllegedly, 1/5/23:
"People are Really Broke to Start the New Year"
"The information is out there. The average person really have no money. People have more credit card debt than ever and their savings are the lowest levels."
Comments here:

Bill Bonner, "Christmas in Ireland – Part II"

"Christmas in Ireland – Part II"
Cozy cottages, midnight mass and the bare necessities of life.
by Bill Bonner

"On the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the quire..."
~ Traditional English folk carol

Normandy, France - "Passive solar heat seemed like a bad bet here in Ireland. In the winter, when you need it the most, the sun is low…and furtive like a badger. You don’t see it very often, or get much heat out of it when it appears. The low-cost alternative is wood. We’ve spent years taking down ‘trash’ trees…what they call here ‘maple sycamores’…which are neither maple nor sycamore, but seem to have characteristics of both. We’ve cleared much of the property, returning it to what it was before the last owner died. As a by-product, we have years’ worth of firewood ricked up in the barn.

But let us return to the cottage itself. It was such a ruin when we arrived, and so covered with vines, we didn’t know there was anything there. It was only when winter came, and the leaves fell, that we got a view of the old place.

The Bare Necessities: It is a typical Irish house from the 18th or 19th centuries. Stone walls. Thatched roof, later replaced with tin. No conveniences. One bedroom. But in this sort of ‘cabin’ the Irish raised families of 6, 8 or 10 children…with several of them eventually emigrating to England or America, if they didn’t starve to death first. Often, they set out for America, by way of England, and ended up in factories in Manchester or Glasgow.

In England, they were never made to feel welcome. Typically, they lost the O’s or the Mc’s and gradually diffused into British mainstream life. When James Callaghan was named Prime Minister, in 1976, hardly any mention was made of his Irish roots.

In America, the story was different. At first, the Irish were regarded with open contempt. They were rowdy and poor…cheaper than slave labor for many jobs…and more dispensable. But they kept coming. At one time, one out of every 4 residents of New York had been born overseas, with most of them from Ireland. And soon, almost all the police were Irish…and then, the mayor and city councilmen too.

Finally, when John F. Kennedy was elected president, the Irish were triumphant. His grandfather had come from New Ross, County Wexford…as poor as a churchmouse. But by the 1950s, the Kennedy/Fitzgerald clan was as rich and as powerful as any in America. Kennedy went back to New Ross in 1963 and was warmly greeted by relatives. But all of Ireland celebrated; one of its own had made good. Kennedy, and practically the whole Irish American race, came from cottages like this one. We aimed to save it… ‘in its juice’…which is to say, without much upgrading.

We tore away the underbrush, removed the collapsed roof, re-laid the stones around the tops of the walls and framed up a simple roof, following the pattern of the gable ends…one of which was formed by the wall running alongside the road.

Then, we dug up the floor, insulated with 3” of Styrofoam, poured a light concrete over it…and put down large stones we had saved from another renovation project. The walls were cleaned; loose plaster removed. But they were left more or less as we found them. And then, everything was covered with a limewash that picked up the colors beneath it.

The bedroom, however, still felt cold and damp. So, we covered the walls with 1” of foam insulation and then a wood beadboard paneling. And on the ceiling, too, we put 3” of Styrofoam between the rafters…and covered the whole thing with the tongue-in-groove pine paneling.

The house was still dark. So, we added a very un-authentic conservatory onto the south side. This ran into some serious money, though we don’t remember how much. We had to buy the double-pane glass panels…and the treated-wood framing. And the door, we made using a sliding door rail…cutting out each side so that, when the two halves are pushed together, it resembles a tree.

The other things that might have involved considerable expense were the water and electricity. For the latter, a friend was able to get a temporary meter from the power company and install all the outlets and lights we wanted, at low cost.

And for the water – what luck! – nearby was a cattle trough. We simply connected our water system to the cattle line. Then, with flexible tubing – the kind used by the farmers – the water comes to the house…and then moves from a very simple kitchen sink to a small bathroom, built in the form of a large armoire, with only a toilet and a shower.

The Cost: We did not want the expense of a regular hot water heater, so we put in an ‘on demand’ heater in the shower itself. It only heats water when you actually use it. Very economical. A similar heater, under the kitchen counter, will do the same thing for the kitchen – though we haven’t put it in yet.

And so, after cleaning and painting…the place was almost ready. We didn’t keep track of our investment, but it was probably only $5,000 to $10,000. We had done almost all the work ourselves, which showed. Some things looked okay. Others were amateurish.

And would anyone want to stay in it? That was the question we posed before the Christmas holidays. We have a small house. And a big family. Where would they all stay? Could we get one of them to stay in the ‘guest’ cottage without feeling ‘dissed’ or humiliated? Fortunately, one of our sons was delighted with it. “This is great. Very cozy. I love the fires.” Whew. That was a relief.

Midnight Mass: On Christmas Eve, finally, we took down the poor pheasants. They had “hung” long enough. They were placed on a makeshift table outside. Elizabeth and one of the boys went to work on them, following directions from a U-tuber. By 6pm, they were ready for the oven, looking like small chickens or large pigeons. “They don’t smell right,” said one of the boys. “That’s just the gamey smell of pheasants,” Elizabeth reassured him.

At 11pm on Christmas eve, the bells of St. Mary’s, the huge Anglican cathedral in Youghal, sounded. It was time for the faithful to gather for carols. Alas, over the years, the faithful have dwindled to two dozen, at most. So small was the congregation, gathered for midnight mass, that we all sat in the nave…with a heavy velvet curtain separating us from the rest of the church…and holding in a little heat.

We have been members of the Anglican church (known as ‘Episcopalian’ in the US) all our lives. We have watched it decline, like our own contemporaries, from robust and confident, to doubtful and even cynical, to weak and doddery in old age. Most of the people at Midnight Mass were as old as we are. Almost any of them would have been at home in our stodgy Episcopal church in Maryland. The men in their sweaters...the women in the plaid wool skirts – there is a kind of Anglican style that must be trans-Atlantic. In our youth, we carried the cross…now, we guffaw and grumble under our breath. Is it us, we ask? Or is it the church? One of us has lost its way.

The message of Jesus is fairly clear: it is up to each of us to find his way into the kingdom of Heaven. “You got to go there by yourself,” is how the old African-American hymn puts it. His challenge to us was to change ourselves, not to change the world. The message of the modern church, however, is that we can vote for Democrats, force others to change, and somehow create Heaven on earth…or at least, the version of it currently in vogue among the elite. After so many decades as a church-goer, we now find ourselves out-of-place…but still going. The carol service over, after midnight, we wished each other a “Merry Christmas” and headed home.

Brady & Tommy: Brady is a lean handyman. His white hair is thick, and cropped close. But we rarely see it, inasmuch as his hat is a near-permanent part of his attire. Brady’s side-kick is Tommy, who comes occasionally to trim trees.

Tommy was asked to take down some giant limbs overhanging the cottage. He is bald, and thin, like Brady and your editor, but slighter. Somehow, he finds ways to do what appears impossible to us. He throws a rope far into a tree and pulls himself up…swinging between branches and trunk. He does this with a rolled cigarette in his mouth and a chainsaw in his hands. “Tommy, be careful up there,” we yell up the tree. “Now, don’t ye be worried. I’ve been doing this all me life." “Yes, but I want you to keep doing it.”

Brady is more cautious. He worked for years at a fuel company. He doesn’t smoke. At precisely 10AM both men stop ‘for tea.’ Brady brings a thermos and sandwiches. Tommy has his own stash. They sit on tree stumps or stones and carry on a conversation that has been going on for approximately half a century. “I don’t know how those bloody fools can make such a mess of things,” says Brady. “It’s all they do,” replied Tommy. “How do they expect us to get along, with everything getting so expensive?” “Prices going up all the time.”

Brady complains. Tommy, like a chain-smoking Greek chorus, merely echoes. But in the matter of tree trimming, Tommy says nothing. He sets to work. Chips fly. And limbs fall. He had artfully rigged up a rope to the limb hanging over the cottage so that once cut, it did not fall on the roof, but swung back towards the tree, where it could be lowered to the ground without damage. That is the charm of the working classes. They work. They get things done.

Their talk is sometimes as silly as a US senator’s. But their work is valuable. They know how to do things. And get things done. “Brady…Tommy…would either of you like to take home a pheasant? It’s all prepared.” "Nooo…tank you,” says Brady. “I saw them hanging in the garage. I felt sorry from them.” “I’ve never had pheasant,” Tommy replied. “They’re not native to Ireland.”

Christmas Morning: At 8am it was still dark outside. But our 18-month-old grandson was fully awake. He wandered unsteadily from the kitchen to the library…caught between the sublime and the delicious, he alternately admired the lit-up Christmas tree…and came back for pieces of pancake with maple syrup.
We finished breakfast and then assembled in the library. A fire made it cheery. Presents piled up underneath the tree. 
Outside, the wind was blowing a gale. Coming in from the Atlantic was a storm. It was not especially cold, but the wind, with a light rain, made it uncomfortable and difficult to work outside.

“I won’t come over today,” Brady had telephoned. We could hear the disappointment in his voice. He would normally spend a few hours here…interrupted by the deep tranquility of his ‘tea’…doing what he likes to do best – cutting firewood…cleaning the ivy off of stone walls…visiting with neighbors and passers-by. Our guess was that he just wanted an excuse to get away from the house and to busy himself outside.

His main project now is clearing up a ‘secret garden’ hidden in the woods. It is the site of ancient ruins…walls, doorways, even a “killing slot” where a man with a bow might shoot an enemy with little risk to himself. He is cutting down the trees that don’t belong there…and removing the brambles that cover the area. In their place, he plants rhododendron, azaleas and fuchsia – all of which grow well in the damp Irish climate.

Brady disappears into the woods in the morning. He comes out in the afternoon. “What are we going to do about the deer and the rabbits,” he asked. “They’ll kill everything unless we find a way to stop them. Once the plants are mature, we won’t have to worry. But when they are young, the animals love them." “I’ll talk to McIlveny [the gamekeeper at the pheasant farm],” Brady volunteered. “I’ll ask him to come over and do some shooting. But we also need to put up wire mesh around all the plants.”

The sun set at 4:30…by then, we were all prepared for our Christmas dinner. Normally, the occasion calls for a goose. But this year, pheasant was on the menu. The table was set in the dining room. A fire was set in the fireplace. The candles were lit. The best china was on the table. The silverware and the wine goblets sparkled in the firelight. Champagne toasts to Christmas and to the coming new year were offered. It was a scene out of a Thackeray novel…all cheery…warm…and jolly.

We enjoyed our foie gras…on little pieces of toast. We gave thanks to all present for making the journey (one of the boys came from California). And then, it was time for the main course. The piece de la resistance appeared – two pheasants on a big platter. Elizabeth brought it in and placed it at the head of the table. We sharpened the carving knife, while all admired it. And then… “They don’t smell right,” said one of the boys. "I think they’ve gone bad.” Regards..."

"How It Really Is"

 

"Straight Calls with Douglas Macgregor, 1/5/23"

Straight Calls with Douglas Macgregor, 1/5/23:
"Two Weeks of Continuous Freezing and Ukraine is Finished"
"Your home for analysis of breaking news and in-depth discussion of current geopolitical events in the United states and the world. Geopolitics. No ego descriptions. No small talk. Straight to the point. Calls with the relevant analysis only."
Comments here:
o
And why should this concern you, Good Citizen?
Do read the entire article...
"We've Reached Peak Zelensky. Now What?"
Excerpt: "Finally, the U.S. has committed $112 billion to Ukraine. That includes $45 billion just slipped into the omnibus funding bill against the likelihood that a Republican-controlled House will cut such funding, almost certainly substantially. That's more than $10 billion per month since the war started in February. And that doesn't even count the subsidies, both material and financial, from the EU which amount to billions of dollars more per month. Without such subsidies, Zelensky would not have lasted a month in the war. How many hours do you think he is going to last once that flow dries up? And it surely is."
Full article here:
o
A Comment: Americans are such a loving and compassionate people, and so fortunate their own country has absolutely no problems whatsoever, making it possible to send $112 billion dollars to help the unfortunate Ukrainians, now living in dark, freezing cities without water, heat and light since the electricity infrastructure has been destroyed, causing millions of refugees to flee to nearby countries, over 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed, 450,000 wounded, and the totally insane and very real risk of literal nuclear war, and YOU and me and all of us are paying for this. Proud of yourself, as you wave your oh-so-cutesy little Ukrainian flags while knowing absolutely nothing of the real reasons for this? You shouldn't be...
- CP

"Empty Shelves Everywhere At Target! This Is Ridiculous! What Now!?"

Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 1/5/23:
"Empty Shelves Everywhere At Target! 
This Is Ridiculous! What Now!?"
"In today's vlog we are at Target, and are noticing empty shelves everywhere! We are also noticing ridiculous price increases, and a major food shortage! It's getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products!"
Comments here:

Gregory Mannarino, "Bond Yields Reverse, MMRI Rises, Stock Futures Drop. Important Updates!

Gregory Mannarino, AM 1/5/23"
"Bond Yields Reverse, MMRI Rises, 
Stock Futures Drop. Important Updates!
Link To The MMRI (Mannarino Market Risk Indicator):

"They Love Their Chains..."

 

Canadian Prepper," Alert! What is Going on Here?"

Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 1/4/23:
"Alert! What is Going on Here?"
"According to intelligence agencies Russia is possibly hours away from a major announcement about the conflict. Belarus ordering all men aged 18-60 for military enlistment?"
Comments here:
o
And why should this concern you, Good Citizen?
Do read the entire article...
"We've Reached Peak Zelensky. Now What?"
Excerpt: "Finally, the U.S. has committed $112 billion to Ukraine. That includes $45 billion just slipped into the omnibus funding bill against the likelihood that a Republican-controlled House will cut such funding, almost certainly substantially. That's more than $10 billion per month since the war started in February. And that doesn't even count the subsidies, both material and financial, from the EU which amount to billions of dollars more per month. Without such subsidies, Zelensky would not have lasted a month in the war. How many hours do you think he is going to last once that flow dries up? And it surely is."
Full article here:
o
A Comment: Americans are such a loving and compassionate people, and so fortunate their own country has absolutely no problems whatsoever, making it possible to send $112 billion dollars to help the unfortunate Ukrainians, now living in dark, freezing cities without water, heat and light since the electricity infrastructure has been destroyed, causing millions of refugees to flee to nearby countries, over 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed, and the totally insane and very real risk of literal nuclear war, and YOU and me and all of us are paying for this. Proud of yourself, as you wave your oh-so-cutesy little Ukrainian flags while knowing absolutely nothing of the real reasons for this? You shouldn't be...
- CP

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

"Markets Ignore Danger Ahead; FED About To Cripple The Economy; Car Payments Go Crazy; Job Loss"

Jeremiah Babe, 1/4/23:
"Markets Ignore Danger Ahead; FED About To 
Cripple The Economy; Car Payments Go Crazy; Job Loss"
Comments here:

Gerald Celente, "Judge Andrew Napolitano: US And NATO, Let's Kill for Peace"

Gerald Celente, 1/4/23:
"Judge Andrew Napolitano:
 US And NATO, Let's Kill for Peace"
"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What’s Next in these increasingly turbulent times."
Comments here:
o
Related:
Douglas Macgregor, "I Can't Believe. It's Insane"
Comments here: