La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
So, we rise from the rubble...
Sunday, May 19, 2024
"There Comes A Time..."
"I make no bones about being partisan for my country. I also feel no shame whatever because of it. I absolutely disagree that "great thinkers don't let that affect the thoughts". I would say exactly the opposite: someone who refuses to let love-of-country affect their thoughts is a moral cripple irrespective of their intellectual prowess. I can look dispassionately at the situation, and I have done so repeatedly. But I will never forget which nation I love and support.
We Americans have a saying: “It’s more important what you stand for than who you stand with.” I do not rely upon peer opinion to decide what is right and what is wrong. I make those decisions for myself, and even if I discover that every other human alive chose differently, that doesn’t mean I was wrong.
There comes a time in every man’s life when he has to choose sides. I have chosen my side. I am comfortable with my decision. I do not think everyone on my side is a saint, but I know that those on the other side are much, much worse.
Sometimes a man with too broad a perspective reveals himself as having no real perspective at all. A man who tries too hard to see every side may be a man who is trying to avoid choosing any side. A man who tries too hard to seek a deeper truth may be trying to hide from the truth he already knows. That is not a sign of intellectual sophistication and “great thinking”. It is a demonstration of moral degeneracy and cowardice.”
- Steven Den Beste
○
“Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and unexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.”
- Mark Twain
"Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria Crush IDF"
Danny Haiphong, 5/19/24
Richard Medhurst,
"Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria Crush IDF"
"Journalist Richard Medhurst exposes Israel's vulnerable position as the IDF faces six fronts of war which together far outpace its military capabilities. It's game over for the Netanyahu regime, the only question is: when? This video breaks it down."
Comments here:
"Why Has The Vatican Chosen This Precise Moment To Drop Bombshells About UFOs, Aliens And “Apparitions”?
"Why Has The Vatican Chosen This Precise Moment
To Drop Bombshells About UFOs, Aliens And “Apparitions”?
by Michael Snyder
"For centuries, the Vatican has been carefully guarding their most precious secrets. In recent years, that has been especially true regarding what they know about UFOs, aliens and the mysteries of the universe. So why have they chosen this exact moment in history to publicly talk about these things? The press conference at the Vatican on Thursday was the very first time that the Vatican has held a press conference about UFOs, aliens and “apparitions” since 1978. So this is a really big deal. It is being reported that the Vatican has decided to issue new guidelines “on aliens and how it will deal with potential encounters in the future”…and will feature three prominent Vatican members.
Being held to “present the new provisions of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for discerning between apparitions and other supernatural phenomena,” it will be led by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandex, Messenger Armando Matteo and Daniela Del Gaudio.
If the Vatican feels a need to issue guidelines about how to “deal with potential encounters in the future”, that seems to imply that they believe that there will be “potential encounters in the future”. What do they know that they aren’t telling us? Probably a lot.
The last time that the Vatican did something like this was all the way back in February 1978… The last time the Vatican’s doctrinal office issued norms for evaluating alleged apparitions and reports of supernatural events was in February 1978. At the time, the prefect, Cardinal Franjo Seper, said the norms were necessary given how news of alleged apparitions spreads rapidly thanks to the mass media.
What has changed between then and now? One thing that has changed is that the current pope seems to be quite interested in the topic of aliens. In comments that he made near the end of 2023, Pope Francis seemed to suggest that aliens could actually be baptized…
However, Pope Francis did touch on aliens at the end of last year, when he was talking about how early Christians discussed associating with “Jews and Gentiles” – which, for some reason, he compared to aliens. He said: “That was unthinkable. If, for example, tomorrow an expedition of Martians came, and some of them came to us, here…Martians, right? Green, with that long nose and big ears, just like children paint them…And one says, ‘But I want to be baptized!’ What would happen?”
He didn’t answer his own question, but added: “It was never the ministry of the closed door, never,” So he plans to have an “open door” for the aliens? What would that look like?
The producer of a new documentary entitled “God Versus Aliens” seems to believe that the Vatican wants to prepare us for the day when humanity finally makes contact with such beings… "The documentary ‘God Versus Aliens’ is to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and reveal the Vatican’s secrets about UFOs. The award-winning filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee says that the Vatican publishing new guidance on apparitions means that the full disclosure about the UFO phenomena is getting closer.
He said: “The Vatican has been studying UFOs for decades and even has its own Cardinal appointed to deal with first contact. From my research I believe that this new guidance on apparitions is proof that they know that UFOs are more than just physical crafts from other worlds and that they have a paranormal side to them.”
What most people don’t realize is that the Vatican has been on the cutting edge of the search for extraterrestrial life for a long time.
The Vatican Observatory in Rome is very well funded, and the Vatican also has a “research group” that uses the very high-powered equipment at the University of Arizona in Tucson…"Many people are surprised to learn that the Vatican even has an observatory. The history of the Vatican Observatory goes back two and a half centuries. During its history, there has been some turmoil and several moves to escape the light and other hindrances that large cities, such as Rome, pose to doing astronomy. Therefore, more than a half-century ago the Vatican Observatory established a research group at the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona in Tucson, while the Vatican Observatory’s headquarters remained in Italy."
Needless to say, the Vatican isn’t going to tell us everything that they know right now. But a couple of things have become quite clear. Number one, the Vatican believes that extraterrestrial life exists. Number two, the Vatican plans to develop a positive relationship with any “aliens” that do make contact with humanity. Could all of this be setting us up for a great deception of absolutely epic proportions?
The late author Tom Horn made the following observation…"Why the Vatican has taken this carefully designed and deliberate course over the last few years is the greater mystery, but implies knowledge on their part of facts yet hidden to most of the world that may hold far-reaching and historic implications. It also illustrates how Rome has wittingly or unwittingly set itself up to become the agent of mass end-times deception regarding “salvation from above.” That’s because, historically, there exists a clear pattern wherein man’s psychological need of a savior is displayed during times of distress - a time like today - when people look skyward for divine intervention."
It is true. When things get bad enough, the world is going to be looking for a savior. And if a “superior race” appears on the scene that seems to have all the answers, many people out there will fully embrace them.
For decades, books, movies and television shows have conditioned us to expect that someday we will interact with “aliens” from another planet. 100 years ago, everyone would have dismissed such talk as nonsense, but now we have been well prepared for the great deception that is eventually coming. Sadly, the Vatican seems to be quite ready to welcome “aliens” as their new best friends, and that is extremely unfortunate."
"How It Really Is"
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Oh no we haven't, not even close.
This is just beginning, and you ain't seen nuthin' yet, but you will...
Dan, I Allegedly, "The Economics Don’t Add Up"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 5/19/24
"The Economics Don’t Add Up"
"We are getting some warning in regards to EV cars and how completely unaffordable they are. Plus, we’re getting warnings from Home Depot that people are putting off large purchases."
Comments here:
Gregory Mannarino, "Markets, A Look Ahead"
"It's a Big Club, and you ain't in it.
You and I are not in the Big Club."
- George Carlin
Your guide...
Gregory Mannarino, 5/19/24
"Markets, A Look Ahead:
Critical Updates, Banks, Stock Market, Gold, Silver, More!"
Comments here:
“Immaculate Acceleration”
“Immaculate Acceleration”
Wall Street expects an “immaculate acceleration.”
by Brian Maher
"Bloomberg’s Mr. Simon White: "The economy is signaling a more volatile, potentially recessionary period. Markets, however, aren’t paying attention. Not only are the twin tail risks of a downturn or resurgent inflation being ignored, but a near-impossible “immaculate acceleration” of boomy growth and benign price appreciation is becoming the base case.
It’s not the first time that markets and the economy have been at odds, but this is one of the most egregious. Just as the economic mood music becomes more somber and underlying signs of persistent price pressures continue to fester, the market has virtually eliminated the tail risks of a recession or an inflationary shock…
Immaculate acceleration is the quintessential two impossible things before breakfast. Yet that is exactly what the market is intending to digest…In conclusion: Immaculate acceleration is like trying to thread a needle while shaking from an adrenaline rush. In other words, it’s unlikely to go according to plan."
We are with this Simon fellow. We hazard immaculate acceleration will endure a maculate deceleration.
Immaculate Acceleration? Really? We first note a wobbling in retail sales. Consumer spending (on a year-over-year basis) has run negative for 12 out of the past 17 months. Real retail sales - that is, adjusted for inflation - have run negative 12 out of the last 15 months. This, again, is on the year-over-year gauge. Meantime, Americans’ average credit card balance has jumped 8.5% this past year. Many Americans are falling into arrears. Is this the indicator of immaculate acceleration? Next we come to the yield curve, so-called…
Bad Omen: The yield curve is simply the spread between short-term interest rates and long-term interest rates. Long-term rates normally run higher than short-term rates. For the reasons, we needn’t look far. Investors, for example, demand greater compensation to hold a 10-year Treasury than a 2-year Treasury. Compensation, that is, for laying off the sparrow at hand… in exchange for the promise of two sparrows in the distant bush. They are, after all, locking away their money for 10 years - as opposed to two years. Would you not demand greater compensation under the 10-year option? Else you hold in your hand a sawdust asset.
And the further the future, the greater the uncertainty you confront. Thus the 10-year yield should therefore run substantially higher than the 2-year yield. Yet when the 2-year yield and the 10-year yield begin to converge, the yield curve is said to flatten. And a flattening yield curve is a possible omen of lean days - and lean nights. Is a flattening yield curve an immediate menace, a thundercloud overhead? Not necessarily, say the experts. Not necessarily. The yield curve can remain good and flat for a while - with no ill effects.
Alarm! Only when the yield curve inverts do the Klaxons sound. In the careening confusion, future and past run right past one another… and end up switching slots. Thus, an inverted yield curve wrecks the market structure of time. It rewards pursuit of the sparrow at hand greater than two future sparrows. That is, the short-term bondholder is compensated more than the long-term bondholder. That is, the short-term bondholder is paid more to sacrifice less… and the long-term bondholder paid less to sacrifice more. That is, something is dreadfully off.
Inverted yield curves precede recessions nearly as reliably as days precede nights, horses precede carts… lies precede elections. Today the 2-year Treasury note yields 4.79%. The 10-year Treasury note yields 4.37%. That is, the yield curve is inverted.
It Gets Worse: Some market crystal gazers believe the gap between the 3-month Treasury bill and the 10-year Treasury note puts out a greater recessionary signal. The 3-month Treasury bill currently yields 5.45%. Again, the 10-year Treasury note yields. 4.37%. Here - again - the yield curve inverts.
The 10-year Treasury yield has dropped beneath the 3-month Treasury yield on six occasions spanning over 50 years. Recession was the invariable consequence - a perfect 1.000 batter’s average. History reveals the catastrophic effects of an inverted yield curve only manifest an average 18 months post-onset. The 2-year/10-year yield curve inverted 22 months in the past. The 3-month/10-year yield curve inverted 19 months in the past. In words that are other, recession is overdue.
Might the ocean waves of recent government spending have postponed the scheduling? We concede the possibility that they have. Government spending can put on a gaudy short-term show. Yet at what price? A heavy long-term price is the answer.
It’s a Ponzi Scheme: Mr. Michael Lebovitz of Real Investment Advice: "The repercussions of relying on stimulus for economic growth and growing debt faster than the ability to pay for it have significant economic consequences. The recent surge in debt will only further handicap our economy and prosperity in the future…"
Growing debt faster than one’s income is a Ponzi scheme. No matter how politicians sugarcoat fiscal stimulus, there are no two ways around such a characterization. Individuals and corporations that run such a scheme ultimately end up bankrupt. The same holds for governments, but they tend to have much longer runways…"Not only is the growing ratio of debt to income problematic, but it is also a sure sign that the debt in aggregate is used for unproductive purposes. In other words, the debt costs more than the financial benefits it provides. If it were productive debt, income or GDP would rise more than the debt."
In the long run, unproductive debt reduces a nation’s productivity, aka economic potential. Yet under our democratic system of government the long run yields unswervingly to the short run - the election cycle. How can a congressman or president purchase votes if he sits upon the nation’s strongbox? He cannot. The sitting president has it open wide in hope of electoral jackpot this November.
The Cost of Every Pleasure: Yet what has the “stimulus” of the past years truly gifted us? Let’s consider the two rounds of stimulus checks sent to the public during the pandemic. Consumers and businesses spent a large percentage of the funds on goods or services that no longer provide economic benefit. The initial result of the direct stimulus was a massive boost to economic activity. Three to four years later, the economic growth spurt is finished, and the debt and its annual interest costs remain. The interest on the debt is capital that will not be put to productive use.
In conclusion: Nothing is free, it’s just a question of how it’s paid for. While the government spends like there is no tomorrow and the Fed does everything in its power to help them, we must understand that the longer-term consequences of their actions are weaker economic growth and growing wealth disparity…
As we are fond to say - and as the great Buddha never ever said: “The cost of every pleasure is the pain that succeeds it.” The United States has enjoyed the pleasure. Can it absorb the cost?"
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Canadian Prepper, "I Almost Died"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 5/18/24
"I Almost Died"
Comments here:
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Magnificent island universe NGC 2403 stands within the boundaries of the long-necked constellation Camelopardalis. Some 10 million light-years distant and about 50,000 light-years across, the spiral galaxy also seems to have more than its fair share of giant star forming HII regions, marked by the telltale reddish glow of atomic hydrogen gas. The giant HII regions are energized by clusters of hot, massive stars that explode as bright supernovae at the end of their short and furious lives.
A member of the M81 group of galaxies, NGC 2403 closely resembles another galaxy with an abundance of star forming regions that lies within our own local galaxy group, M33 the Triangulum Galaxy. Spiky in appearance, bright stars in this colorful galaxy portrait of NGC 2403 lie in the foreground, within our own Milky Way.”
"Yet Now..."
“Yet now, as he roared across the night sky toward an unknown destiny, he found himself facing that bleak and ultimate question which so few men can answer to their satisfaction. What have I done with my life, he asked himself, that the world will be poorer if I leave it?”
- Arthur C. Clarke, “Glide Path”
Full screen recommended.
Alan Parsons Project, "Old and Wise"
"A Hammer Blow..."
"Do as little harm to others as you can; make any sacrifice for your true friends; be responsible for yourself and ask nothing of others; and grab all the fun you can. Don't give much thought to yesterday, don't worry about tomorrow, live in the moment, and trust that your existence has meaning even when the world seems to be all blind chance and chaos. When life lands a hammer blow in your face, do your best to respond to the hammer as if it had been a cream pie."
- Dean Koontz
Jeremiah Babe, "The Decay Of America Cities Is Shameful; Millions Of Americans Trapped In Debt"
Jeremiah Babe, 5/18/24
"The Decay Of America Cities Is Shameful;
Millions Of Americans Trapped In Debt"
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
"Streets of Philadelphia,
Kensington Philadelphia, May 2024"
"The Trick..."
The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable,
or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.
- Carlos Castaneda
John Wilder, "Don’t Fear The Reaper"
"Don’t Fear The Reaper"
by John Wilder
“No. Not like this. I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing.”
- James T. Kirk, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"
“Death is the only wise advisor that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you're about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you that you're wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch. Your death will tell you, 'I haven't touched you yet.'”
- Carlos Castaneda, "Journey to Ixtlan"
"When The Soon To Be Mrs. and I were just dating, I was cooking something or other. I think it was eggs. I like eggs sunny side up, and don’t particularly care if they’re cooked all the way.
The Soon To Be Mrs.: “Aren’t you worried about salmonella?”
John Wilder: (Laughs in full Chad manifestation.)
The Soon To Be Mrs.: (Swoons.)
Seriously, she swooned. I’ve never seen it before in my life, but in that moment I think that was what sealed the deal, the moment in time that The Soon To Be Mrs. realized that this one is different. He’s not like the others. Here is a man who has zero fear of The Current Thing, and knows that salmonella won’t be the thing that punches his ticket out of having a functioning circulatory system.
No. I’m not afraid of salmonella. I would spit in its tiny little eyes or flagellum or tentacles and say, “Not today, my bacterium friend! My Danish-Scots-Germanic blood is far too strong for the likes of you!” And then I would attack Poland. Oh, wait, that’s been done.
I know I’m not going to die like Hemingway, and I’m not going to die like the comedy greats Belushi, Twain, or Nietzsche did. Nope. I think I’m gonna go out like Elvis. On a toilet after having eaten a fried peanut butter, jelly and bacon sandwich covered in cheddar cheese and mayo. Nope, I’m gonna die on a toilet. I mean, after all, a king should spend his last moments on the throne, right?
A lot of people worry about dying. I suppose I did, in my 20s, when I was worried about carrying out my responsibilities as a dad. Those are serious responsibilities – because those kids are going to be the legacy that I leave on Earth. That and my writing, collection of PEZ® dispensers and velvet Elvis paintings.
Again, a lot of people worry about dying. I’m not sure why. Of things that are more-or-less predetermined, that’s the big one. We’re all going to die. All of us. And I’m not sure I care.
Oh, sure, I want to live. I have no particular desire to die. If given the preference, I suppose I’m in favor of my continued heartbeat. But I don’t fear death. I don’t go to sleep at night wondering if this pain or that pain or that thing might be the symptom I look up on WebMD® that seals the deal that Wilder is going up to irritate Jesus in Heaven with bad puns.
I don’t worry about some future point when I’m going to enjoy life. I’ve achieved nearly every goal I’ve ever set for my life. End. Full stop. It’s like when a baseball game goes into extra innings, “Hey, free baseball.” And me? Free life. I’ve done nearly everything I’ve ever wanted to do.
What do you give a man who has everything? I mean, besides another bottle of wine. You give that man: Today. I’ve got Today. The only moment I live in is right now. And right now isn’t all that bad. I’m sitting in the sitting room (question: is any room I sit in, by definition, a sitting room? Discuss.) with the cool night air blowing in the window, some songs I love playing on the laptop, a cold beer by the keyboard, and the knowledge that at this moment, everything is fine.
Literally, in my life, Every Single Thing Is Fine. I could go into details, but you already know how awesome I am. So, I live for today? Hell no.
That’s YOLO. The idea that “You Only Live Once” is a free pass to act in any fashion has corroded society. It’s really at the root of many of the problems we have today. It is, in many ways, the absolute inverse of the philosophy I’m trying to describe. YOLO seeks to elevate hedonism and the passions of the moment as the highest good. YOLO is Tinder® times Planned Parenthood© times SnapFaceGramInstaChat® times Rwanda®.
t’s the inversion of beauty: it consists of being positive about, well, any old thing that feels good. I could list these “pleasures”, but you know the list as well as I do. We see it every day, with vice being paraded as virtue, and the continual demand going out for people to celebrate it, because, “Can’t you see? This horrid abomination that no healthy society or people in the entire history of the world has tolerated, iS BeAuTIfUL!” No, I think living a life built on YOLO is one doomed to fail – inevitably it will fail based on two reasons: it is materialism or a faith based on the nihilism of the material world writ large, and it is based on needs, like youth, wealth, sensation, or, yes, even life. So, not YOLO.
One thing I’ve tried to preach is outcome independence. Indeed, since the final outcome of life on Earth is fixed, all the intermediate steps lead there. Instead, I try to focus on virtue and faith. I write not because of YOLO, and not because it’s easy. Some nights it’s hard as hell to get the post to “close” and feel right. There are dozens of posts where, even after 1600 words, I still didn’t say exactly what I meant to say. That’s okay, it’s on me. I’m learning, and if I were perfect at this, I wouldn’t have more work to do.
For me, it’s the work. It’s getting better. It’s finding ways to add value to those people around me. There are those who pull their weight in the world, and those that don’t. I want to be one that pulls his weight, who has contributed as much as I can to helping my family and the wider world.
I don’t always do it. And I’m not always right, either. I’ve produced some stuff in my life that was really, really good, but not perfect. Thankfully, that’s not my mark, either, since just like immortality here on Earth, searching for perfection is a lonely and silly pastime. I want to make the world a better place with my family (first) and my work (now second) guided by God. And I want people to laugh hard while learning and thinking about the things I write.
The beauty of this is to win, all I have to do is the best that I can do every day. To win? All I have to do is be the best person I can be every day. See? Each night, I go to bed and sleep soundly if I know, in that day, that I gave it my all. Do I take time for me? Sure. But that’s not the goal – I serve a higher purpose.
So, what do I fear? Not death. It’s coming whether I like it or not, and, honestly, I’d rather not return my body in factory-fresh condition – I’d like all the parts to fail at once. On the toilet. I think Elvis would have wanted it that way. Oh, wait... I wonder if Elvis ate eggs sunny-side-up? Hang on, I’m sure he did. Elvis ate everything."
Blue Oyster Cult, "Don't Fear The Reaper"
"Bad Things Do Happen..."
“Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself.”
- Walter Anderson
"That's All There Is..."
"Angel: Well, I guess I kinda worked it out. If there's no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters... then all that matters is what we do. 'Cause that's all there is. What we do. Now. Today. I fought for so long, for redemption, for a reward, and finally just to beat the other guy, but I never got it.
Kate Lockley: And now you do?
Angel: Not all of it. All I wanna do is help. I wanna help because, I don't think people should suffer as they do. Because, if there's no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world.
Kate Lockley: Yikes. It sounds like you've had an epiphany.
Angel: I keep saying that, but nobody's listening."
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0512846/quotes
"Rules Versus Righteousness"
"Rules Versus Righteousness"
by Paul Rosenberg
"Yes, we’ve seen a string of irrational, malicious and even murderous rules lately, but that’s not what I’m addressing in this post. Today my point is that rules by themselves – rules by their essence – are the opponents of righteousness. I know this strikes most people as impossible, but I’m convinced that it’s correct and important. I expect this concept to take root slowly; human psychology is just that way: It takes time to absorb and sift ideas that are not only new, but which stand against basic assumptions. So, if this seems like it’s “too far out there,” please try to let it remain in your mind as a possibility, even if a far-fetched one. Thanks.
It Nearly Always Comes Back To Structure: There are multiple ways to analyze almost anything, but the one that stands out to me is analyzing the structure of things. As it happens, this type of analysis is rarely done for human affairs, which I think accounts for a significant share of our problems.
What I want to do, briefly, is explain the structure of righteousness, and show you why rules oppose it. So, let’s start with a definition: Righteousness is not merely doing the right thing, or even knowing that you are doing the right thing. It is doing the right thing by your own will.
You don’t improve your inner workings by following rules. Rather, you surrender them to an exterior command. That insults your inner parts rather than using and upgrading them. Once, however, you generate your own desire to do beneficial and courageous things, you both strengthen your inner parts and know that you are a source of benefit in the universe. That is righteousness, and it’s a massively beneficial thing.
The great difference in the two models is that in one of them our inner parts are subsidiary and inferior to something external… our actions are derived from something outside… our goodness is not inherent, but subsidiary. In the other model, our inner parts generate goodness, making us primary and potent beings; beings who continually improve. Once we begin to see and accept this, we become objectively better beings… we grow and expand… and we very certainly become more confident and reliable beings.
Still, it’s notable that the best human actions arise where rules are absent or disregarded. The human who surrenders his or her judgment to rules is highly unlikely to show courage and to stand up for the oppressed. The man or woman who summons the courage to act beyond the rules is the actual hero. As Martin Luther King noted:"We should never forget that everything Adolph Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything the freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal.”
One final point: Humans have promoted rules as a path to goodness for millennia, with a doggedness to rival any compulsive disorder. If rules worked, we’d be a race of angels by now.
So…Rules do not engender human progress, rather they hinder it. Again, I know that this seems strange and even threatening, but I submit to you that while the concept may be foreign, it is true all the same. Rules displace and disgrace our inner mechanisms. We and our entire world will be far better off once we stop treating them as idols. Thanks for considering it."
"It Becomes Sad..."
"Why does truth carry such a dreadful face? Why does subjugation carry
such a happy mask? It becomes sad when people understand that they
can lead a better life as long as they bow their heads, ignoring the truth."
- Lionel Suggs
Dan, I Allegedly, "Fenway Park and a Bad Economy"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 5/18/24
"Fenway Park and a Bad Economy"
"Today we visit Fenway Park in Boston and cover everything that’s going on in the economy. Walmart is boasting that rich people have decided to shop there to save money."
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Adventures With Danno, "Kroger Items Everyone Should Be Buying Right Now!"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, AM 5/18/24
"Kroger Items Everyone Should Be Buying Right Now!"
Comments here:
o
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Full screen recommended.
Travelling with Russell. 5/18/24
"Belarus Supermarkets are Secretly Taking over Russia"
What does a Russian typical (Belarus Owned) Supermarket look like? Join me at the Grand Opening of Chesnok Supermarket in Oryol, Russia to find out. Belarusian Supermarket chains are slowing taking over Russian, one store at a time."
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Friday, May 17, 2024
Canadian Prepper, "Breaking! US Troops Are 100% Going To Ukraine; Nuclear Strike Drills"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 5/17/24
"Breaking! US Troops Are 100% Going To Ukraine;
Nuclear Strike Drills; Russian Rocket On US Coast"
Comments here:
Judge Napolitano, "INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson & McGovern: Weekly Wrap Up"
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 5/17/24
"INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson & McGovern: Weekly Wrap Up"
Comments here:
Jeremiah Babe, "This Is The Scariest Economy Of Your Life"
Jeremiah Babe, 5/17/24
"This Is The Scariest Economy Of Your Life;
Ray Dalio Ominous Warning"
Comments here:
Adventures With Danno, "Foods That Are Tasteless Or Packed With Chemicals!"
Adventures With Danno, PM 5/17/24
"Foods That Are Tasteless Or Packed With Chemicals!"
Comments here:
"A Look to the Heavens"
"This popular group leaps into the early evening sky around the March equinox and the northern hemisphere spring. Famous as the Leo Triplet, the three magnificent galaxies found in the prominent constellation Leo gather here in one astronomical field of view. Crowd pleasers when imaged with even modest telescopes, they can be introduced individually as NGC 3628 (right), M66 (upper left), and M65 (bottom). All three are large spiral galaxies but tend to look dissimilar, because their galactic disks are tilted at different angles to our line of sight.
NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy, is temptingly seen edge-on, with obscuring dust lanes cutting across its puffy galactic plane. The disks of M66 and M65 are both inclined enough to show off their spiral structure. Gravitational interactions between galaxies in the group have left telltale signs, including the tidal tails and warped, inflated disk of NGC 3628 and the drawn out spiral arms of M66. This gorgeous view of the region spans over 1 degree (two full moons) on the sky in a frame that covers over half a million light-years at the trio's estimated distance of 30 million light-years. Of course the spiky foreground stars lie well within our own Milky Way."
"The Free and the Brave"
"The Free and the Brave"
by Todd Hayen
"Whatever happened to that (the free and the brave)? Whatever happened to the attitude that had Patrick Henry at the Virginia convention in 1775 say “give me liberty, or give me death”?
Whatever happened to the patriotic fervor and the uncanny commitment to face suffering and death that resulted in over two million young men volunteering for service in World War I, and five times that number volunteering to serve in World War II?
Whatever happened to the ability to conquer fear and ride on the excitement for adventure and potential for immeasurable success that drove hundreds of thousands of men and women into the wild, and dangerous, frontiers of the American West?
Whatever happened to the spirit that filled the souls of those that faced stark adversity, danger to life and limb, that lead over 50,000 hapless men and women (mostly men) into the jungles of Central America to build the Panama Canal? - ultimately killing over 5,000 of them as a result of accidents, all manner of diseases including malaria and dysentery?
What happened?
Yeah, this is about us, guys (me included!) Sure, women can be brave - any biological sexual orientation can activate the warrior archetype - but more commonly it is the gendered male that falls into this archetypal constellation. Bravery - a compulsion to protect those he loves, have a critical and logical assessment of a difficult situation, and the force and power, at the very least a potential force and power, ready to inflict whatever necessary to protect partner and family, community and nation. We, us men, have seemed to have lost much of that. Have we become a bunch of puss-balls?
Dr Mark McDonald, a prominent medical doctor with a speciality in psychiatry, doesn’t mince words when he says while describing the psychological state of men and women during this crises: "We essentially have men with no balls, and then we have histrionics, women who have no emotional containment, because there are no men to contain them anymore.”
Sexist? Maybe some will think so, but McDonald is not putting all the blame on one sex, or exclusively on the masculine or feminine archetypes, the responsibility here is rather well balanced.
What does this mean? Very basically it means we have created a culture that has done a pretty good job of emasculating men - the radical feminist movement, as well as a general lack of situations where men can express their “man-ness” in a healthy way, has been a big part of the problem.
“Toxic Masculinity” is a phrase and concept that has taken the world by storm, and contributes quite a bit to the confusion that men are experiencing while trying to ascertain what a “real man” is in today’s “anti male” culture. “Oh boo hoo” some of you may be saying. “Men, through their powerful patriarchal history of abusing women and treating them as inferior partners in relationships deserve a little pull back!” There certainly is truth to that, but two wrongs don’t make a right. You can’t carve out an essential part of being a “man” without some collateral damage, all the way around.
So what does being a “real man” have to do with bravery? A lot, actually. Facing adversity and danger, primarily in order to protect the physically weaker, is a very important attribute of the masculine archetype of warrior, or even king if you want to get more detailed about it. Historically and traditionally the man has been the protector, the physical, and sometimes intellectual (intelligence that is present in logic reasoning and critical thinking) found in masculine archetypes (again, archetypes both men and women have access to).
These attributes are primarily directed toward protection and outwardly projected as strength and resolve. This often stabilizes the more emotional feminine archetypal factors that again, typically, are activated by the female, or woman, in a relationship.
As a psychotherapist, and an archetypal psychologist at that, I see these archetypal powers and influences playing out in my clients every day. Most of the problems I find in a couple’s therapy stems from an imbalance, or a dysfunction, in these energies of masculine and feminine. Again, the “man” in a couple can be activating both masculine and feminine archetypes, as well as the “woman.” The problem comes in if the archetypes activated are inappropriate, out of balance, and create a result that is unexpected, undesired, or not beneficial. Most of these influences run in the unconscious, so very seldom are they consciously manipulated.
It wasn’t until I met Dr McDonald that I connected some very important dots. McDonald recently wrote and released a book titled "United States of Fear." The subtitle of the book, “How America Fell Victim to a Mass Delusional Psychosis” is the primary focus.
McDonald holds nothing back when he addresses what he believes to be a fundamental cause of this mass psychosis. He believes that women (feminine archetypes driving the woman’s behavior) need a strong, and masculine man, to contain her emotionality (due to the unfettered expression of her feminine archetypes.) McDonald, in an interview given on Jerm Warfare, said:
"Do you think men with masks on make women feel safe? It only shows they have no balls. I’ve spoken with female police officers who see men in camouflage, tattooed, driving around in trucks with gun racks - wearing masks. They tell me, ‘this does not make me feel safe. This makes me afraid. If they are this scared of a virus, how will they react to a real threat - what’s going to happen when the bear comes out of the woods? What’s going to happen when a rapist tries to attack me? What’s going to happen when my children are going to be kidnapped by the man in the park, what are they going to do? With their mask on are they going to say, “Please stop. Please. Please.” They’re not going to put their lives on the line. They won’t even put their mouth on the line.’”
Harsh words, my brothers. Harsh words, but I think quite on the money. Is this the only thing that is driving the collapse we are seeing in those that cannot stand up to this current tyranny, and say “Enough is enough, step back!” No, of course not, but, in my opinion, it is a large part of the problem.
Our culture, at least in the West, has been set up for this to happen. We have become more and more dependent on government taking care of us, thus losing our own personal drive to develop character and strength. We depend on government and authority to think for us, and tell us what is best for us to, in a word, parent us. We comply, we stay children, and we ultimately suffer.
The brave hold onto what makes them free and are willing to fight for it. Freedom is a God given right, not one bestowed upon us by any other authority. The healthy masculine archetypes of warrior and king have at their side the symbolic sword representing their power over adversity and danger.
There is a time for the warrior to pull the sword from its scabbard just a few inches to allow the sun to glint off of its polished surface, flashing in the eyes of a potential enemy, letting them know who they are dealing with. And then there is the time to pull the sword completely free from its confines and slash what is seriously threatening the warrior and those he loves. Now is the time to fight."
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“You cannot kill me here. Bring your soldiers, your death, your disease, your collapsed economy because it doesn’t matter, I have nothing left to lose and you cannot kill me here. Bring the tears of orphans and the wails of a mother’s loss, bring your God damn air force and Jesus on a cross, bring your hate and bitterness and long working hours, bring your empty wallets and love long since gone but you cannot kill me here. Bring your sneers, your snide remarks and friendships never felt, your letters never sent, your kisses never kissed, cigarettes smoked to the bone and cancer killing fears but you cannot kill me here. For I may fall and I may fail but I will stand again each time and you will find no satisfaction. Because you cannot kill me here.”
- Iain S. Thomas
"The Essence Of Human Existence..."
"Curiosity is the essence of human existence.
'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'
I don't know. I don't have any answers to those questions.
I don't know what's over there around the corner. But I want to find out."
- Eugene Cernan
"Reflect On What Happens..."
“Reflect on what happens when a terrible winter blizzard strikes. You hear the weather warning but probably fail to act on it. The sky darkens. Then the storm hits with full fury, and the air is a howling whiteness. One by one, your links to the machine age break down. Electricity flickers out, cutting off the TV. Batteries fade, cutting off the radio. Phones go dead. Roads become impassible, and cars get stuck. Food supplies dwindle. Day to day vestiges of modern civilization – bank machines, mutual funds, mass retailers, computers, satellites, airplanes, governments – all recede into irrelevance.
Picture yourself and your loved ones in the midst of a howling blizzard that lasts several years. Think about what you would need, who could help you, and why your fate might matter to anybody other than yourself. That is how to plan for a saecular winter. Don’t think you can escape the Fourth Turning. History warns that a Crisis will reshape the basic social and economic environment that you now take for granted.”
– Strauss & Howe, “The Fourth Turning”
Gerald Celente, "Dragflation Dragging Down Plantation Workers Of Slavelandia"
Strong language alert!
Gerald Celente, 5/17/24
"Dragflation Dragging Down Plantation Workers Of Slavelandia"
"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:
"Something Like Reverence..."
"When I see the blind and wretched state of men, when I survey the whole universe in its deadness, and man left to himself with no light, as though lost in this corner of the universe without knowing who put him there, what he has to do, or what will become of him when he dies, incapable of knowing anything, I am moved to terror, like a man transported in his sleep to some terrifying desert island, who wakes up quite lost, with no means of escape. Then I marvel that so wretched a state does not drive people to despair."
- Blaise Pascal
Ahh, but it does...
o
“When the pain of leaving behind what we know outweighs the pain of embracing it, or when the power we face is overwhelming and neither flight nor fight will save us, there may be salvation in sitting still. And if salvation is impossible, then at least before perishing we may gain a clearer vision of where we are. By sitting still I do not mean the paralysis of dread, like that of a rabbit frozen beneath the dive of a hawk. I mean something like reverence, a respectful waiting, a deep attentiveness to forces much greater than our own.”
- Scott Russell Sanders
Folks, I fear our time for such reverence is here...
God help us, God help us all...
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