Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 10/29/24
"Russia's Alarming Nuclear Test; Gold Exploding;
Iran/Israel 'Surprise Within Days'"
Comments here:
So, we rise from the rubble...
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
"America’s Grocery Crisis Is Wiping Out Average Families As Prices Soar 56% In 2024"
Epic Economist, 10/29/24
"America’s Grocery Crisis Is Wiping Out
Average Families As Prices Soar 56% In 2024"
"You’re not imagining it. Grocery prices are still going up. In fact, new data shows that you're paying 50% more on basic food staples this year than you were four years ago. This winter you'll be forced to spend even more, according to experts’ forecasts. Farmers and ranchers are saying that extreme weather events have caused cattle and crop production to decline throughout 2024, and we will see the impact of that in the next few months as food becomes more scarce and more expensive.
But there's something much more sinister fueling these abusive price hikes. A new report revealed that food manufacturers and retailers are shamelessly using inflation as an excuse to keep on passing higher costs to consumers. With the overwhelming majority of Americans worried about affording groceries, this situation is reaching critical proportions. Millions of U.S. households are being wiped out and going into debt just to buy everyday essentials. What’s is truly behind this distressing trend, and what can we do about it? In this video, we’re breaking down the grocery crisis that’s unfolding right now across America - and we have to admit that it’s far worse than you think."
Comments here:
"The Food Bank Lines Keep Getting Longer; JP Morgan Sues Infinite Money Glitch Scammers"
Jeremiah Babe, 10/29/24
"The Food Bank Lines Keep Getting Longer;
JP Morgan Sues Infinite Money Glitch Scammers"
Comments here:
Gerald Celente, "Follow Your Leaders"
Strong Language alert!
Gerald Celente, 10/29/24
"Follow Your Leaders"
"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:
Oh, Gerald's in fine form today! lol
Musical Interlude: "Music of the Night: East of The Full Moon"
Deuter,
"Music of the Night: East of The Full Moon"
"A Deep Look to the Heavens"
Full screen recommended.
"The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D"
o
"A Universe of 2 Trillion Galaxies"
"In 2016, a study published in The Astrophysical Journal and led by Christopher Conselice of the University of Nottingham using 3D modeling of images collected over 20 years by the Hubble Space Telescope concluded that there are more than two trillion galaxies in the observable universe."
o
"In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three billion Earth-type planets. And in all of the universe, 2 trillion galaxies like this. And in all of that... and perhaps more, only one of each of us."
- "Dr. Leonard McCoy"
"I Can Choose..."
“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
Mary Oliver, "There Is Time Left"
"There Is Time Left"
"Well, there is time left –
fields everywhere invite you into them.
And who will care, who will chide you if you wander away
from wherever you are, to look for your soul?
Quickly, then, get up, put on your coat, leave your desk!
To put one's foot into the door of the grass, which is
the mystery, which is death as well as life,
and not be afraid!
To set one's foot in the door of death,
and be overcome with amazement!”
~ Mary Oliver
"What The World Needs Now"
"In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. You can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization and filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love. What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black. "
- Robert F. Kennedy, on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
○
Full screen recommended.
"What The World Needs Now"
by Tom Clay
"Detroit DJ brought this out early in 1973 and it was seen as
a celebration of the message behind that spread
by John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy."
"In Retrospect..."
“In retrospect, the spark might seem as ominous as a financial crash, as ordinary as a national election, or as trivial as a Tea Party. The catalyst will unfold according to a basic Crisis dynamic that underlies all of these scenarios: An initial spark will trigger a chain reaction of unyielding responses and further emergencies. The core elements of these scenarios (debt, civic decay, global disorder) will matter more than the details, which the catalyst will juxtapose and connect in some unknowable way. If foreign societies are also entering a Fourth Turning, this could accelerate the chain reaction. At home and abroad, these events will reflect the tearing of the civic fabric at points of extreme vulnerability – problem areas where America will have neglected, denied, or delayed needed action.”
– "The Fourth Turning", Strauss & Howe
Gregory Mannarino, "We Are In A Full-On Debt Crisis, The Line In The Sand Has Already Been Crossed"
Gregory Mannarino, PM 10/29/24
"We Are In A Full-On Debt Crisis,
The Line In The Sand Has Already Been Crossed"
Comments here:
o
"Is the Dollar Collapsing?
7 Key Indicators You Can't Ignore"
by Nick Giambruno
Excerpt: "As outlined in this article, there are seven key indicators to watch as the US government falls deeper into the self-perpetuating debt spiral that I think will culminate in the collapse of the US dollar."
Full, well illustrated article is here:
"Our Alaric Moment"
"Our Alaric Moment"
by The ZMan
"If you were living in the Western Roman Empire in the fourth century you probably knew that things were not going well. This assumes that you were prosperous enough to have time to think about these things. You could see that the infrastructure was failing and that the empire was struggling to maintain order. On the other hand, the decline had been happening for a long time so things may have seemed normal. Without some way to compare the present to the past, you only have instinct.
Today we have mountains of facts and figures to tell us how things are doing in the Global American Empire. There was a time not so long ago when these facts and figures made up the bulk of news coverage. Economists became court wizards, explaining the latest unemployment figures or trade numbers. They were also called upon to bless whatever polices were being debated in Congress. In the Obama years, economic data was the way we measured the glories of the empire.
That has all changed now. One reason is no one in their right mind takes anything the government says at face value. People had grown used to the way the media biased the numbers depending upon who was in office, but the mortgage crisis cratered the public’s confidence in the numbers themselves. If all of the court wizards explaining the numbers could not see the mortgage fiasco coming, then why should anyone believe them about unemployment or inflation?
Then you have the general lying that has become a feature of government. The lying about Covid not only disgraced the medical profession, but it finished off whatever trust people had in the official numbers. If the government lies about how many people are dying from Covid just to move more product for the drug makers, the government will lie about how many people are working or the inflation numbers. No one trusts the numbers because no one trusts the people issuing the numbers.
The point here is we cannot trust the numbers if the numbers have no relationship to anything we have experienced. When the end of the world has the same numbers as what most consider to be a golden era for the empire, those numbers cease to have any meaning to us. Throw in the fact that most people do not feel like they are richer than their ancestors and those inflated stock figures carry even less weight. We are left to rely on our instincts to judge things.
Of course, our sense of things, that gut feeling, is the result of a many small things that we experience every day. Three-quarters of Americans think the country is going in the wrong direction because they go to the grocery store every week. They see that despite the crowing about inflation coming down, food remains expensive. Granted, no one is starving in America due to a lack of affordable food, but it is that thing they see every day that gives people a sense of things.
Think about something simple like a pint of premium ice cream. A few years ago, a pint was sixteen ounces. “A pint is a pint the world around” was true from peak of the British empire until just a few years ago. Now a pint is fourteen ounces. The price for the new pint is not the same as the old pint. The price is more than the old pint. A few years ago, the old pint of ice cream was five dollars. That is about 31¢ per ounce. Today the new pint is over seven dollars or 51¢ per ounce.
That is a seventy percent change in the price. This is one example and probably not a representative one, given that butterfat prices drive dairy prices. Even so, this is something people see all over the marketplace. Shrinkflation is a word because it is a thing that exists. People notice that the containers are getting smaller, or they are getting less full in the case of things like snacks. Meanwhile, prices go up. This subtly tells people that something is going wrong. This is probably why we are no longer getting a parade of court wizards analyzing the latest economic numbers. The court wizards flood the airwaves with the good news about the economy. Instead, no one talks about the numbers and Biden is as popular as rectal cancer.
This brings us back to where we started. There were those in the Roman Empire who sensed the true state of affairs. No doubt some of them lived and died expecting things to fall apart, only to stagger on long past their time. Then there were others who internalized this reality and just accepted that no matter how grim things might appear, the empire was a permanent feature of life. The people probably just tried to make the best of things, even as they noticed the decline.
All of that changed on August 24, 410 AD when Alaric led the Visigoths into the eternal city, sacking Rome and setting off the collapse of the Western empire. The empire staggered on for a bit longer, but it was over at that point. All of those bad signs people had sensed probably seemed obvious in retrospect. Even so, the sack of Rome by the Visigoths was a shock to the world. The signs seemed obvious, but people still thought that the imperial order was permanent.
This is most likely the fate of the American empire. There are lots of signs that things are going poorly for the empire. Getting whipped by a collection of bronze age goatherds in the graveyard of empires should have been a wakeup call, but the empire is now picking fights with Russia and China. Meanwhile things deteriorate domestically, both economically and culturally. Yet, we stagger on, but somewhere out there is an Alaric moment just waiting to happen."
"The Middle East: War"
Dialogue Works, 10/29/24
"Col. Larry Wilkerson: Is This the End?
Israel Facing Defeat on Every Front!"
Comments here:
o
Dialogue Works, 10/29/24
"Scott Ritter: Israel's Attack Crumbles! Iran &
Hezbollah's Powerful Defense Leaves Israel Powerless!"
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
Daniel Davis/Deep Dive, 10/28/24
Larry Johnson:
"Iran: Bitter & Unimaginable Consequences Await Israel"
Comments here:
Chris Hedges, "Genocide as Colonial Erasure, w/Francesca Albanese"'
Full screen recommended.
The Chris Hedges Report,
"Genocide as Colonial Erasure, w/Francesca Albanese"'
“The crime of all crimes.” That is how the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda declared genocide in the final judgment of Prosecutor v. Akayesu, the case against the mayor of Taba, Rwanda for crimes against humanity. Today, that crime repeats itself as UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese painfully details in her latest report.
Albanese joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to break down her report and present the indisputable evidence that Israel is actively committing a genocide of the Palestinian people.
“The acts of killing, the mass killing, the infliction of psychological and physical torture, the devastation, the creation of conditions of life that would not allow the people in Gaza to live, from the destruction of hospitals, the mass force displacement and the mass homelessness while people were being bombed daily, and the starvation - how can we read these acts in isolation?” Albanese asks.
The UN Special Rapporteur clearly outlines the steps and conditions required to meet the classification of genocide, and in the case of Gaza, it’s undeniable. Albanese tells Hedges, “What is relevant in order to establish that there is genocide is not just the intent behind these crimes, enunciated in Article II of the Genocide Convention; it’s the overall intent, specific intent, to destroy the people - the group as a whole, or in part, as such. And what is the group here? It's the Palestinians.”
Throughout the rest of her report, Albanese details the harrowing death and destruction Palestinians endure on a daily basis in countless forms, alongside the horror suffered by non-Palestinians in Gaza. Albanese documents record-breaking numbers: The highest number of journalists killed, the highest number of UN officials killed, the highest number of hospitals targeted, the destruction of all universities, the fastest rate of population starvation. It’s clear, according to Albanese, the scale of devastation the Israelis are inflicting is one of scorched-earth catastrophe."
Bill Bonner, "One Nation, Under Thumb"
"One Nation, Under Thumb"
The BRICS sound like the original United States, a confederation of
independent, sovereign states, rather than the more modern version of the US,
in which all the states are under Washington’s thumb.
by Bill Bonner
Baltimore, Maryland - "Where’s Kazan? Who cares? We didn’t know and didn’t care either. But, for those curious, it is in Tatarstan, a republic in Russia, not an independent country. It is located about five hundred miles east of Moscow, between the Volga and Kama rivers. As for the people, they are Turkic speaking descendants of the Golden Horde... and they eat their meat raw. That’s probably all you need to know about it. But the meeting just held in its capital city, Kazan, may be worth more attention.
The western mainstream press mostly ignored the BRICS meeting in Kazan last week. Delegates from thirty-nine different countries, representing most of the world’s population, held a historic get-together; the western media didn’t find it worth mentioning. All we knew about the BRICS summit was what we got from ‘alternative’ sources. Then, yesterday, a dear reader from Montreal sent over some links to the coverage in the French press. One interview in particular, with Pascal Mas, helped us to understand what the BRICS are up to.
You’ll recall that it wasn’t that long ago that, apart from the US and its Western allies, the rest of the world was “developing” or the “Third World”... or what Donald Trump might call “sh*thole countries.” Whatever you called them, they didn’t matter very much. But now, all of a sudden, the sunlight seems to reach the “Global South.”
’The BRICS are not really an alternative UN or NATO,’ explained Mr. Mas. “It is not a top-down group, and it is not dominated by a single country or single leader. It has no bureaucracy... not even a headquarters building or a Secretary General. The western press brushed it off as Mr. Putin’s show. But he doesn’t control the BRICS. The members are all equal.’”
Hearing Mr. Mas describe it, the BRICS sound more like the original United States, a confederation of independent, sovereign states... rather than the more modern version of the US, in which all the states are under Washington’s thumb.
‘And it’s not an organization that gives orders or resolves conflicts. Instead, the members get together to talk and work out their differences... publicly. Countries that wouldn’t talk to each other - Turkey and Iran, for example, are historical enemies - come together and speak openly. This is not like the G7 where the important issues get settled behind closed doors.’
One of the most important events of the BRICS phenomenon probably occurred before the meeting began. China and India have disputed their common border for more than fifty years. No agreed-upon borderline exists, and every once in a while, border guards take shots at one another. But a week ago, in anticipation of the BRICS summit, the two most populous countries in the world cut a deal. CNN:
"India and China have reached an agreement on military disengagement along their disputed border, New Delhi said, a step toward reducing frictions between the nuclear-armed neighbors that comes ahead of an expected meeting between the countries’ leaders on the sidelines of a summit in Russia. Beijing later confirmed on Tuesday that the two sides had “reached a solution” following “close communication on relevant issues of the China-India border through diplomatic and military channels.”
All empires must die. Is this how the US will go - squeezed and exhausted... between India’s apparently unlimited manpower... and China’s unmatchable manufacturing?
Probably not worth worrying about. Not yet. But one part of the spectrum that US elites most want to dominate is the money part. Much of America’s prosperity comes from its ability to lay off its monetary inflation onto foreigners. The US ‘prints’ but much of the printed-up new money ends up overseas, in banks or in mattresses.
Since 1999, total accumulated trade deficits tote to around $13 trillion – equal to about a third of the national debt. Had the foreigners not wished to hold dollars, inflation would have hit earlier and harder... forcing up interest rates and causing a financial crisis. And were the dollar to lose its ‘reserve’ status now... it would be a severe blow to the economy, the markets, and to US power. The Financial Times:
"What is at stake here is not just the erosion of the dollar’s dominant role but also a gradual change in the operation of the global system... an increasing number of little pipes are being built to go around this [dollar] core; and a growing number of countries are interested and increasingly involved. What has been happening to the gold price is not just unusual in terms of traditional economic and financial influences... As it develops deeper roots, this risks materially fragmenting the global system and eroding the international influence of the dollar and the US financial system."
Over the last two years, foreign-based dollars – trillions of them – lost about 20% of their value. Their owners must be looking for alternatives."
Canadian Prepper, "Emergency Drill: USA Capitol Preps For War, 7 Days Left! Israel VS Iran Is About To Get Crazy"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 10/29/24
"Emergency Drill: USA Capitol Preps For War, 7 Days Left!
Israel VS Iran Is About To Get Crazy"
Comments here:
Dan, I Allegedly, "They Are Selling Your DNA - Your Data's On The Line!"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, AM 10/29/24
"They Are Selling Your DNA -
Your Data's On The Line!"
"There is some explosive news you need to hear about 23andMe's DNA betrayal. Yes, your genetic data is up for grabs, and this isn't just a minor detail hidden in the fine print—it's a full-blown crisis. 23andMe, once a giant in DNA analysis, is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, and your private information could be auctioned off to the highest bidder. This video dives deep into the potential dangers of selling your DNA, exploring the implications for both privacy and security."
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly PM 10/29/24
"Lawsuit City - Are YOU On Chase's Hit List?"
Comments here:
Adventures With Danno, "This Is Very Strange, Stores Closing Everywhere"
Adventures With Danno, 10/29/24
"This Is Very Strange, Stores Closing Everywhere"
Comments here:
o
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Full screen recommended.
Travelling with Russell, 10/29/24
"Russian Typical (German Owned)
Supermarket After 2 Years of Sanctions"
"Take a look around a typical Russian supermarket in Moscow, Russia. Globus Supermarket is a German-owned chain of stores throughout Russia. After two years of Sanctions impeded on Russia, how does a typical Russian supermarket look?"
Comments here:
Monday, October 28, 2024
Musical Interlude: "Peak Focus Soft House Study Music With Beta Isochronic Tones"
Full screen recommended
"Peak Focus Soft House Study Music
With Beta Isochronic Tones"
by Jason Lewis
Headphones Are Not Required
What does this track do? A soft house upbeat study music mix with beta wave isochronic tones. Part of my peak focus for complex tasks series. Designed to produce a deep focus mental state while studying or working. This session stimulates Beta, SMR and Alpha, alternating in 2 minute increments to help keep the user relaxed and engaged. Note: SMR (sensorimotor rhythm) relates to the frequency range between 12 – 15Hz. It’s associated with sensory processing and motor control. Stimulating this can result in relaxed focus and improved attention. This session is meant to speed up the brain while keeping the left hemisphere dominant (good for attention, concentration and reducing emotional response and hyperactivity). ADD and similar disorders are often characterized by “slow-wave” EEG patterns, particularly in the left frontal region. As such, this session stimulates the left brain hemisphere with Beta frequencies and the right with SMR.
Can it be used to help with studying and if so, when should you listen to it? Yes, it can be helpful to use while studying, and if you read through the many comments about this track, you’ll see that many people have successfully used it for studying. You can either listen to it while you are studying, to get your brain into a good mental state when you need it. Or if you are someone that gets a bit distracted by music while studying, listen to it just before you begin.
How Loud Should The Volume Be? There is varying advice and opinions on the impact of volume with brainwave entrainment, with some saying the louder it is the more impact it has. From my own experience, my advice is to play it at a volume level you feel comfortable with. The main thing to consider is that it should be loud enough to hear the repetitive isochronic tones, so you don’t want it so quiet you can hardly hear them. But you also don’t want it so loud that its uncomfortable for you. Somewhere in the middle is my recommendation.
Use this session in the morning or afternoon, to train your brain for better cognition, such as clearer and faster thinking. You can either sit somewhere quiet and comfortable with your eyes closed and give your brain a nice workout, or you can also listen to this while doing an activity that requires a boost in concentration, like studying.
How long should you listen for to get a good effect? It takes around 6 minutes for your brainwaves to fall in step with the tones and become entrained. It then takes time to be guided along the frequency range used in the track. Listening to about half way through is the minimum in my opinion, but 30 minutes is the optimum and preferred length to listen for.
IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Drink some water – Make sure you are well hydrated before listening to brainwave entrainment.
WHY? Your brain is made up of around 75% water, so it needs plenty of water to function well. When you stimulate your brain in this way, you’re increasing electrical activity and blood flow in the brain and giving your brain a good workout, so it can be a good idea to drink before listening, so that your brain can fire on all cylinders.
• It is not recommended to listen to this while driving or operating machinery.
WHY? Brainwave entrainment involves a process of stimulating your brainwaves and changing your mental state. While this is safe to do and use in normal situations, it can sometimes zone you out during the track, as you focus in on the sound of the tones. This could result in you being distracted temporarily, which is not a good thing while you’re driving or operating machinery. Some people also experience tingling and other sensations from the stimulation. While that might feel quite nice sitting in a comfortable chair at home, it could cause you to be distracted while driving and result in an accident.
• It is not recommended to listen to this while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or any mind altering substance.
WHY? When your brain is under the influence of drugs or alcohol it’s not operating to it’s full capacity, and you react differently to stimulation and situations, compared to when you are sober. So as a precaution and because I don’t know how you will react in that situation, I recommend you do not use it in that situation.
• Who should NOT listen to this audio? Those who should not listen to this video/audio include: Those who are prone to or have had seizures, epilepsy, pregnant or wear a pacemaker should NOT listen to this video/audio.
WHY? There is insufficient research data in this area, so as a precaution, if you are among the categories listed above, I would recommend you consult a doctor or medical professional before listening to this video/audio.”
Comments here:
○
○
Whether you want to know it or not we're all in the fight of our lives, for our lives. Some of you reading this will not survive, and I may not either, so I for one will take any edge I can get, and so should you. This works, I suggest you use it.
- CP
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Spiral galaxy NGC 4651 is a mere 35 million light-years distant, toward the well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. About 50 thousand light-years across, this galaxy is seen to have a faint umbrella-shaped structure (right) that seems to extend some 50 thousand light-years farther, beyond the bright galactic disk. The giant cosmic umbrella is now known to be composed of tidal star streams. The streams themselves are extensive trails of stars gravitationally stripped from a smaller satellite galaxy that was eventually torn apart.
Recent work by a remarkable collaboration of amateur and professional astronomers to image faint structures around bright galaxies suggests that even in nearby galaxies, such tidal star streams are common. The result is predicted by models of galaxy formation, including the formation of our Milky Way."
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100415.html
"Peter Schiff Explains Why America Is Entering A Horrific Financial Crisis"
Full screen recommended.
Freenvesting, 10/28/24
"Peter Schiff Explains Why America
Is Entering A Horrific Financial Crisis"
"Peter D. Schiff is an economist, stock broker, financial specialist, host of the Peter Schiff Show Podcast, and author. He is the CEO and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital Inc. Mr. Schiff has also written a number of books on investing over the years. He educates people all over the world about free market economics and the principles and benefits of individual liberty, limited government and sound money."
Comments here:
Jeremiah Babe, "Americans Have Gotten Lazy And Dumb; Car Dealers Can't Sell Their Cars - Who Will Buy Them?"
Jeremiah Babe, 10/28/24
"Americans Have Gotten Lazy And Dumb;
Car Dealers Can't Sell Their Cars - Who Will Buy Them?"
Comments here:
"The Level Of Intelligence..."
"If man were relieved of all superstition, and all prejudice, and had replaced these with a keen sensitivity to his real environment, and moreover had achieved a level of communication so simplified that one syllable could express his every thought, then he would have achieved the level of intelligence already achieved by his dog."
- Robert Brault
"The Middle East: War"
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/28/24
"Alastair Crooke:
Israel’s Preference For Self-Destruction"
Comments here:
o
Chris Hedges, 10/28/24
"John Mearsheimer:
Israel is in Deep Trouble"
Comments here:
o
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/28/24
"Scott Ritter:
Iran and Hezbollah Crushing IDF"
Comments here:
"The Gods Laugh At Your Plans: Chekhov, Jaspers, And Life-changing Moments"
"The Gods Laugh At Your Plans:
Chekhov, Jaspers, And Life-changing Moments"
The most momentous and significant events in our lives are the
ones we do not see coming. Life is defined by the unforeseen.
by Jonny Thomson
"You’re in the shower one day, and you feel a lump that wasn’t there before. You’re having lunch when your phone rings with an unknown number: there’s been a crash. You come home and your husband is holding a suitcase. “I’m leaving,” he says.
Life is inevitably punctuated by sudden changes. At one moment, we might have everything laid out before us, and then an invisible wall stops us in our tracks. It might be an illness, a bereavement, an accident or some bad news, but life has a habit of mocking those who make plans. We can have our eyes on some distant shore, some faraway horizon, only to find everything come crashing down by the most unseen of events. As the Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men. Gang aft agley” (often go wrong).
In Anton Chekhov’s remarkable play, "The Seagull," we meet a cast of characters who are all, in some way, in love with something. The young, idealistic artist Konstantin is in love with the idea of pure art. Arkadin, his mother, is in love with her fans and her celebrity. Konstantin’s girlfriend, Nina, is in love with becoming rich and famous. Everyone in the play has some kind of ambition and plan, or they live in regret over the life they chose. They rail against how misguided or mistaken their life has been, while longing for something else.
They are each like a seagull, flying over the sea or a great lake, and aiming purposefully for the shore. The view up there is wonderful. But the longer the seagull flies, the more oblivious they are to how they tire or weaken. They’re so fixated on some distant horizon that they’re at the mercy to life’s sudden changes. They’re blinkered and distracted, and the gods love nothing more than the hopeful hubris of mankind.
At one point in the play, Chekov has the character Trigorin recount a short story about a gull flying over a lake who’s, “happy and free.” But in the next moment, “a man sees her who happens to come that way, and he destroys her out of idleness.” The seagull is killed, its flight and plans annihilated, in one instant of random thoughtlessness.
Boundary Situations: While so much of our lives are spent in planning and preparation, the most transformative and significant moments are those which come at us out of the blue. These are what the psychiatrist Karl Jaspers called “boundary situations” - the ones we cannot initiate, plan, or avoid. We can only “encounter” them. These are not the mundane, everyday parts of our life - what Jaspers calls “situation being” - but rather they are things which thunder down to shake the foundations of our being. They change who we are. Although these “boundary situations” (sometimes called “limit situations”) change a bit in Jaspers’ works, he broadly sorted them into four categories:
Death: Death is the source of all our fear. We fear our loved ones dying, and we fear the moment and fact of our own death. When we know grief and despair, or when we reflect on mortality, we are transformed. We always know about death, but when it’s a boundary situation, it comes crashing into our lives like some grim scythe; an unforeseen curtain call. The awareness and subjective encounter with death transforms us.
Struggle: Life is a struggle. We work for food, compete for resources, and vie with each other for power, prestige, and status in almost every context there is. As such, there are moments when we are inevitably overcome and defeated, but also when we are victorious and champion. The final outcomes of struggle are often sudden and great, and they make us who we are.
Guilt: Hopefully, there comes a moment for each of us when we finally accept responsibility for things. For many, it comes with adulthood, but for others it comes much later still. It’s the awareness that our actions impact all around us, and our decisions echo into the world. It’s seeing the damage or tears we’ve caused. It’s to recognize that, however small or big, we’ve hurt and upset someone. It’s a profound pull of the heart that changes how we live, and it often comes on unexpectedly.
Chance: No matter how neat and ordered we might want our world to be, there will always be a messy, chaotic, and unpredictable exception. We can hope for the best, and make the plans we want, but we can never take a steering handle on the facts that will affect our existence. According to Jaspers, we each prefer, “assembling functional and explanatory structures… whose central axis lies in sufficient reason” and yet, “despite this, it is not possible for man to control and explain everything. In fact, day by day he faces events that he cannot call anything else other than coincidences or hazards.” We want order, and regularity. What we get is the mercurial and capricious throes of chance.
The best laid plans: What Chekhov’s Seagull and Jaspers’ “boundary situations” get right is that we are each much more vulnerable than we might want to allow. A wedding, three years and a fortune to plan, is ruined by a stomach bug. An hour-long journey home for Christmas winds up getting you stuck in the traffic of a freak snowstorm. A lifetime achievement is overshadowed by a national disaster. Our lives are defined by the unforeseen. We have our dreams, hopes and are flying to some faraway shore. Yet life doesn’t care. Around every corner, at every flap of our wings, everything can change."
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"If you caught a glimpse of your own death,
would that knowledge change the way you live the rest of your life?"
- Paco Ahlgren, "Discipline"
"Decide..."
“We're all going to die. We don't get much say over how or when, but we do get to decide how we're gonna live. So, do it. Decide. Is this the life you want to live? Is this the person you want to love? Is this the best you can be? Can you be stronger? Kinder? More compassionate? Decide. Breathe in. Breathe out and decide.”
- “Richard”, “Grey’s Anatomy”
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- W. Somerset Maugham
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"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time;
it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."
- Sydney J. Harris
"No More Free Money! Reality Setting In..."
Full screen recommended.
Michael Bordenaro, 10/28/24
"No More Free Money! Reality Setting In..."
"Across the United States we have more stores closing than opening, as well as many layoffs continuing to happen. But day after day, I continue to see bullish stories on the economy, talking about how everything is great and this is the strongest economy ever. Yet all around us the data and the signs are pointing to quite the opposite."
Comments here:
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Full screen recommended.
The Atlantis Report, 10/28/24
"15 Big Restaurant Chains
Are Seriously Struggling Right Now"
"The fast food industry has long been a staple in American culture, offering affordability, and a taste that millions have grown accustomed to. As consumer preferences and market dynamics continue to change, some fast-food chains find themselves in a difficult situation. In 2024, several once-popular chains are struggling with declining sales, changing consumer trends, and intense competition. Today, we look at 15 big restaurant chains experiencing major difficulties and the factors contributing to their decline."
Comments here:
Dan, I Allegedly, "How We're All Being Robbed - Digitally Pickpocketed"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 10/28/24
"How We're All Being Robbed - Digitally Pickpocketed"
"I dive into the alarming world of digital pickpocketing and reveal how we're all being robbed in today's digital age. From unexpected charges at your favorite coffee shop to skyrocketing costs for everyday essentials, it's clear that no one is safe from these cunning tactics. Join me as I uncover shocking stories, like the mismanagement of child trust funds, and the outrageous plan to cram 56 people into a single townhouse. Remember, it's crucial to protect yourself from financial predators."
Comments here:
"How It Really is"
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great!
You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything!
Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
- Frederic Bastiat
How much more evidence do you need to
realize we as a society have lost our collective minds?
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