So, we rise from the rubble...
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Wednesday, December 4, 2024
The Poet: e. e. cummings, "Humanity I Love You"
"Humanity i love you because when you’re hard
up you pawn your intelligence to buy a drink..."
"Humanity I Love You"
"Humanity i love you
because you would rather black the boots of
success than enquire whose soul dangles from his
watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both
parties and because you
unflinchingly applaud all
songs containing the words country home and
mother when sung at the old howard
Humanity i love you because
when you’re hard up you pawn your
intelligence to buy a drink and when
you’re flush pride keeps
you from the pawn shop and
because you are continually committing
nuisances but more
especially in your own house
Humanity i love you because you
are perpetually putting the secret of
life in your pants and forgetting
it’s there and sitting down on it
and because you are
forever making poems in the lap
of death
Humanity, i hate you"
- e. e. cummings
Jeremiah Babe, "$1 Biliion To Africa, Nothing For You! New York Hitman On The Loose"
Jeremiah Babe, 12/4/24
"$1 Biliion To Africa, Nothing For You!
New York Hitman On The Loose; Foot Locker Collapse"
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Adventures With Danno, "Walmart & Sprouts Farmers Markets Now Affected by This Massive Recall"
Adventures With Danno, PM 12/4/24
"Walmart & Sprouts Farmers Markets
Now Affected by This Massive Recall"
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Bill Bonner, "The Power to Smite"
"God At His Computer", Source: "The Far Side", by Gary Larson
"The Power to Smite"
"Real wealth and progress result from the efforts of ‘The People.’
Not from laws, edicts, bullying or threats from the feds...
or from the folks George Wallace called ‘pointy headed intellectuals’."
by Bill Bonner
Baltimore, Maryland - "We were cheerfully explaining what would happen in the second Trump administration. But first... Here’s the latest from the Musk/Ramaswamy duo. Business Insider: "The Biden administration said Monday it would help finance two battery factories in Indiana being built by a joint venture involving Jeep owner Stellantis and Samsung."
The announcement provoked a furious reaction from one of the incoming Trump administration's chief cost-cutters. Vivek Ramaswamy, who was tapped to lead a "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk, called the Stellantis loan "illegitimate" and said it should be rescinded. The former Republican presidential candidate, who has been one of Donald Trump's most vocal supporters, also criticized a $6.6 billion loan to help finance a Rivian EV plant in Georgia announced last week.
A reader might wonder: what are the feds doing... lending money to auto companies? But as the elites become more and more corrupt, they put their fingers in more and more pies. From the taxpayers’ standpoint, these ‘investments’ - along with almost all other federal outlays - are costly losers. And when there are enough of them, economic growth comes to a halt.
Real wealth and progress result from the efforts of ‘The People.’ Not from laws, edicts, bullying or threats from the feds... or from the folks George Wallace called ‘pointy headed intellectuals’ who put them in place. So, a president can only boost an economy, but only by cutting off their hands. Whack off regulations. Smack down agencies and departments. Hack away at payrolls and reduce expenses. There is no other way.
That’s the way to help the 90% of the population that has to do real work for a living. But it’s not necessarily the way to help Trump’s many special pleaders and rich guys. Bloomberg sees the challenge: "Trump’s Impossible Task: Delivering for the Working Class and Billionaires."
When Donald Trump won in November the voters felt they were being dissed... betrayed... and ripped off by their elites. He promised, convincingly, to smite them... and smite them hard. On that score, the president-elect is not likely to disappoint them. The Establishment hates him. He returns the favor. And now headed back to the White House, he can use the powers given to him by Democrats and Republicans to smite just about whomever he wants…and put his own elites in power.
That thought must have been in the back of a lot of minds when the rich and powerful decided whom to get behind before the election. Do they need licenses? Do they need permissions? Do they want contracts, deals, and special arrangements? Do they fear the wrath of an all-powerful government? Do they expect loans... grants... tax breaks? Yes, they do. Hunter Biden just saw what a chief executive can do for you. Others are eager to see the bounty come their way too.
We continued our exposition to our grandson: “Musk and Ramaswamy say they’re going to reduce the payroll and erase years of regulations. And our friend David Stockman, former Budget Director for Ronald Reagan, is making the lists and checking them twice. He’s identified dozens of agencies... and hundreds of billions of dollars of spending... that could be cut with no real loss to the commonwealth.
It’s easy to find ‘fat’ in federal finances…it’s almost all fat. But all of that money goes somewhere. And the people not getting it will resist. Team Trump will be taking on the intelligentsia, the press, the bureaucracy, Wall Street, the foreign policy establishment and the firepower industry. Even with a determined budget cutter at the head of the government, it would be an uphill battle. And probably, at this stage in the Primary Political Trend, impossible to win.
Plus, all that money that the DOGE says it is going to save is part of GDP. Cut it out and GDP would go down by $2 trillion... or about 7%. Over the long run, this would be a good thing, because the money would be better spent and invested by the people who earned it. But in the short run, it would seem like a catastrophic economic collapse.
Then what would happen? Would Trump and the Fed sit back and let the economy sink into depression and then recover on its own? Would they permit a 50% sell-off in the stock market (how would that affect his rich backers)?? A 10% unemployment rate ($2 trillion = 28 million jobs!)? Or, would they cut interest rates, print money, and hand out stimmie checks to get the economy moving again?
Trump wasn’t elected because he quoted Madison, Jefferson, Smith or Bastiat. He’s no Thatcher. No Milei. Not even a Reagan. He is no free market purist and has no commitment to making the government smaller. He only wants it to do what he wants it to do - smite his enemies and reward his friends.
Musk and Ramaswamy are smart guys. They want to be his friends. At first, we misjudged them. We thought they might lack the ‘cynicalism’ essential to understand the world of politics. On second thought, they may be even more cynicalist than we are. Rich people naturally turn to politics. But not to cut it down to size. Instead, they look to politics for aggrandizement.
The Musk/Ramaswamy duo probably realize that they’re not really going to change the direction of the Primary Political Trend. If they push too hard for real cuts it will sink the economy and blow back onto Trump’s other backers. The idea is to give the impression that they are leading a revolution... but not actually change anything. What will happen? They will save a few bucks. But the government will still get bigger. It will go further into debt. And it will depend on high levels of inflation.”
Having summed up the situation to our satisfaction, we were ready to do real work. The wind had picked up. And the temperature was barely above freezing. Leaves rose in whirlwinds. But the sun was still warm. We took our grandson outside... gathered up the chainsaws... and prepared for the first cut. “When you take down trees like this,” we continued our practical pedagogy, looking up the trunk of a 60-foot beech, “you gotta know what you’re doing.” We cut a wedge out of the side... where we hoped it would fall.
“Granddad, aren’t you afraid it will fall on you?” “Nah... I cut the wedge out. Now, I’ll cut into the other side and it will fall over.” “Yeah... but what if it doesn’t?’’ “If it falls on me, just call 9-11.” “Granddad, you’re making me nervous. I don’t want to stand here and see the tree fall on you.” “Keep an eye on it. If you see it moving the wrong way... let me know.”
The big saw went deep into the wood. The tree didn’t move. When we were almost through to the wedge, we withdrew the saw... and stepped back. “It hasn’t moved, Granddad.” We started to cut deeper. “Granddad... it’s going the wrong way.”
We pulled out the saw quickly and moved away. But the young man had been misled by passing clouds; if the tree had actually been falling towards us it would have pinched the blade and made it difficult to pull out the saw. We looked up. The top of the tree was moving very slowly. But it was actually going as intended... it creaked over by inches, like a dying empire, and then it suddenly picked up speed... And crashed to the ground."
Gregory Mannarino, "Downfall: An Economic Wipeout, It's Deliberate And About To Get Much Worse"
Gregory Mannarino, AM 12/4/24
"Downfall: An Economic Wipeout,
It's Deliberate And About To Get Much Worse"
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Dan, I Allegedly, "The Arrest Warrants Have Been Issued - Are You on the List?"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, AM 12/4/24
"The Arrest Warrants Have Been Issued -
Are You on the List?"
"Today, we're diving into the shocking world of PPP loan fraud and a hidden arrest warrant list that's causing waves. I'll break down the $793 billion in PPP loans, the 11.5 million loans issued, and why the feds are now cracking down hard. Discover how ex-spouses are turning people in, why casino owners are in hot water, and what you need to know if you received a PPP loan. I'll share real stories of arrests and scams, plus tips on protecting yourself if you're contacted by authorities."
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"Why Has The World Suddenly Gone Completely Nuts?"
"Why Has The World Suddenly Gone Completely Nuts?"
by Michael Snyder
"Chaos is starting to erupt all over the planet. Martial law was just declared in South Korea, civil unrest is raging in the streets of Georgia, and civil war threatens to topple the Assad regime in Syria. It is almost as if someone decided to flip a switch and now vast hordes of people are going completely nuts. Unfortunately, I think that this is just the beginning, because I am convinced that civil unrest will be a major theme in 2025.
On Tuesday, the entire world was shocked by footage of crazed protesters clashing with riot police just outside of the National Assembly in South Korea…"Shocking images showing dozens of riot cops and armed police officers pushing back enraged rioters outside the National Assembly shortly after Yoon’s address was broadcast to the nation. Meanwhile, news cameras captured the moment helicopters descended from the evening skies and landed on top of the parliament building before troops disembarked and began locking down the location.
Other footage and pictures later showed heavily armed soldiers in tactical equipment stalking through the hallways of the National Assembly. Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers."
The president of Sorth Korea imposed martial law in a desperate attempt to quell the unrest, but he was forced to end it after just six hours…"Martial law was enacted in South Korea for just six hours, prompting widespread outrage after the President cited ‘threats’ from North Korea. President Yoon Suk Yeol issued the order in a television address, vowing eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces as he suspended parliament, banned political gatherings and ordered the end of a long-running doctors’ strike. Just hours after doing so, the National Assembly unanimously voted to lift martial law. President Yeol has since announced the martial law is over, with his cabinet officially ending it."
We have never seen anything quite like this in South Korea. Normally, South Koreans are so calm. Are North Korean operatives responsible for stirring up trouble? Could it be possible that the Chinese are behind the unrest? Hopefully some answers will emerge in the days ahead.
Meanwhile, violent protests continue to rage in the streets of Georgia, and as a result dozens of people have been hospitalized…"More than 40 people in the former Soviet nation of Georgia have been hospitalized following a brutal police crackdown on protesters in a move that was backed by pro-Russia Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets in the capital city of Tbilisi for a fourth night on Sunday after Kobakhidze’s ruling party, known as the Dream Party, suspended the country’s 15-year push to join the European Union (EU) last week. “Any violation of the law will be met with the full rigor of the law,” Kobakhidze said during a weekend briefing. “Neither will those politicians who hide in their offices and sacrifice members of their violent groups to severe punishment escape responsibility.” Just like we have seen in so many other eastern European nations, it appears that someone may be trying to instigate a “color revolution” in order to overthrow the Georgian government.
In the Middle East, a resurgent civil war in Syria has taken center stage. After capturing Aleppo, Sunni radicals are now advancing on the city of Hama…"Rebel and government forces are battling for control of Syria, with the fiercest fighting on Tuesday taking place around the central city of Hama, after years of little movement in the conflict.
Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Tuesday announced the “liberation” of three towns north of the city and said their “forces continue to advance.” Government forces, the group claimed, had suffered “major and successive collapses.” The Syrian state news agency countered that the army was reinforcing defenses north of Hama “in preparation for the start of the counterattack.” Russian forces also announced airstrikes against rebels in Hama and Idlib provinces, killing dozens. Without Russian air support, the Syrian military would have likely already collapsed."
Most Americans don’t realize this, but the U.S. is still very active inside Syria as well. In fact, there are reports that Iranian-backed Shiite forces coming across the border from Iraq were just attacked by A-10 Warthog aircraft…"However, according to claims on social media, these Iran-backed troops have already been struck by the United States. On December 1 and 2, multiple Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) accounts and military bloggers claimed that the USAF had deployed its A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft to attack the militias that entered Syria.
One such claim made by Visegard said: “50+ Iranian-backed Shiite soldiers from the PMU killed in strafing rounds by U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthogs in Syria.” PMU is the abbreviation for Popular Mobilisation Forces, a military formation of the Iraqi Armed Forces composed of several Shia factions."
Hopefully U.S. aircraft and Russian aircraft will not come into direct conflict with one another. The Russians would like to offer the Assad regime more support, but they certainly have their hands full in Ukraine right now. Unfortunately for the Ukrainians, their ill-fated Kursk offensive has made them vulnerable on the eastern front, and the Russians are taking full advantage of that opportunity…"Russian troops in eastern Ukraine have seized at least 10 villages and settlements in roughly as many days, according to a group with ties to the Ukrainian Army that maps the battlefield, as Moscow presses on with slow but steady advances that have heightened pressure on Ukraine’s authorities to start cease-fire talks.
The situation looks particularly precarious for Ukrainian forces in Donetsk, in Ukraine’s east, where Russian forces are closing in on their last two strongholds in the southern part of the region, according to the analysis by the group, DeepState. The fall of the strongholds, Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka, could pave the way for a Russian takeover of the area, experts say. Russia, which annexed Donetsk in 2022 and controls about two-thirds of the region, is seeking to consolidate power over the whole territory."
For now, North America is much quieter than the rest of the world. But it is just a matter of time before tremendous chaos erupts in our streets as well. The left is targeting Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th as a time for massive protests. And as economic conditions in Europe continue to deteriorate, I expect a lot of unrest in the streets of major European cities in the days ahead. 2024 was certainly a very “interesting” year, but I believe that we are going to go to a whole new level in 2025."
"The Looming Debt Crisis: Is America Following the Path of Collapsed Empires?"
"The Looming Debt Crisis: Is America
Following the Path of Collapsed Empires?"
by Nick Giambruno
"Debt can topple even the most powerful empires. Whether it’s Rome, Spain, France, Britain, or the Soviet Union, excessive debt has played a critical role in their decline. The typical pattern in these examples of collapsing empires is:
Stage #1: Empires achieve success and become overconfident.
Stage #2: Overconfidence leads to extravagant spending on luxuries and wars.
Stage #3: Empires finance this lavish spending by going into debt.
Stage #4: The debt grows to an unsustainable level and creates a crushing burden.
Stage #5: Empires finance the debt through taxation and currency debasement.
Stage #6: The populace bears the brunt of debt repayment as empires raise taxes and debase the currency - to the maximum extent - until it causes internal instability.
Stage #7: Empires cannot finance their militaries because of their debt burden. This is usually the tipping point.
Stage #8: Underfunded militaries plus internal instability make empires vulnerable to foreign invasion, domestic revolution, civil war, and other existential dangers.
Stage #9: The empire collapses.
Now, it’s the US Empire’s turn. The US federal government has the biggest debt in the history of the world. And it’s continuing to grow at a rapid, unstoppable pace. Annualized interest on the federal debt exceeded $1 trillion for the first time this year and is shooting higher at an exponential rate.
Historian Niall Ferguson summed it up nicely: "Any great power that spends more on debt service (interest payments on the national debt) than on defense will not stay great for very long. True of Habsburg Spain, true of ancien régime France, true of the Ottoman Empire, true of the British Empire, this law is about to be put to the test by the US beginning this very year."
Consider this:
1. The American populace is nearing its breaking point as taxation and inflation rise.
2. Interest on the federal debt exceeds defense spending and is set to become the BIGGEST expenditure, and it will keep growing from there.
As a result, the US Empire is somewhere between Stage #6 and #7 in the empire collapse pattern I described above. It is nearing the point where its crushing debt burden will make it difficult to finance existing military spending. As we saw in the historical examples, a tipping point is reached once an empire’s debt burden becomes so great that it struggles to pay for its military. It’s like someone waving a big red flag.
The US government will soon have to choose to:
1. Cut defense spending amid the most chaotic geopolitical period since WW2.
2. Default on its promises regarding Social Security, Medicare, Veterans’ Benefits, and welfare generally.
Though it may try, the US government cannot continue to pay for entitlements and defense even if their current levels stay flat into the future. But they won’t stay flat. Both are set to grow significantly in the years ahead. Tens of millions of Baby Boomers - about 22% of the population - will enter retirement in the coming years. Cutting Social Security and Medicare is a sure way to lose an election.
With the most precarious geopolitical situation since World War 2, defense spending is unlikely to be cut. Instead, defense spending is all but certain to increase. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently said: "Barely staying even with inflation or worse is wholly inadequate. Significant additional resources for defense are necessary and urgent."
The most likely outcome is that the US will try to have its cake and eat it too by paying for both growing defense and domestic obligations via currency debasement. However, it will likely end up just like other powerful collapsed empires that preceded it - with an underfunded military and domestic instability.
The truth is that Trump cannot make America great again any more than Gorbachev could save the Soviet Union. Once an empire struggles to pay for its military, the decline is impossible to reverse.
Consider this: The Denarius - the Roman silver coin - lost nearly all its silver content between 180 and 280 AD. The US dollar has lost over 98% of its value against gold since 1971. Just as the Roman citizens realized their government was defaulting on its promises to them through currency debasement, I am confident that Social Security and Medicare recipients and others who have been promised something from the US federal government will notice they are being paid in debased currency. They won’t be happy.
Just as Roman soldiers realized they were being paid in debased currency, I am confident American soldiers will realize the same thing, and they won’t be happy either. In short, the US will soon reach the tipping point that has caused the collapse of other powerful empires. Its crushing debt burden is nearing the point where it will cause the military to be underfunded and internal instability as average citizens bear the brunt of debt repayment through increased taxation, inflation, and broken promises on Social Security and other programs.
Remember, the interest expense is set to exceed Social Security and become the BIGGEST item in the budget. It will only get bigger from there as the debt continues to grow at an unstoppable and exponential rate. Therefore, I don’t think it will be long before the exploding interest expense crowds out funding for defense, Social Security, and other domestic commitments. As that happens, I expect the US is headed for a disaster of historical proportions.
I am confident that the collapse of the US Empire, which has been in place since the end of WW2 - otherwise known as the US-led world order - could happen a lot sooner than most realize. The global geopolitical situation was already trending towards a multipolar world order. The US debt crisis is compounding its geopolitical problems and will accelerate this established trend. That means we’re likely to see the end of the US-led world order and the emergence of a multipolar world order in the not-so-distant future.
Russia, China, Iran, and other proponents of a multipolar world order are no doubt asking themselves: "Why start a war when your enemy’s debt burden is already leading them to defeat?" Many people will be unprepared for the collapse of the US Empire. However, when you look at the Big Picture, that is where I think we’re headed. And just like the collapse of previous empires, debt will play a significant role.
When private businesses go bankrupt, shareholders get wiped out. When governments go bankrupt, those who hold its fiat currency get wiped out. Given the historical examples, one thing I think we can be sure of is that the US government will try to service its debt costs with currency debasement, just like many empires that collapsed before it. That’s terrible news for the US dollar.
I have little doubt the coming months and years will be the most chaotic of our lifetime. Countless millions throughout history were wiped out financially - or worse - as previous empires collapsed because they failed to see the correct Big Picture and take appropriate action."
o
"The Collapse Of Complex Societies"
"Political disintegration is a persistent feature of world history. The Collapse of Complex Societies, though written by an archaeologist, will therefore strike a chord throughout the social sciences. Any explanation of societal collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies, but for the members of all such societies in both the present and future. Dr. Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory that accounts for collapse among diverse kinds of societies, evaluating his model and clarifying the processes of disintegration by detailed studies of the Roman, Mayan and Chacoan collapses."
Freely download “The Collapse of Complex Societies” here;
Greg Hunter, "Sh*t Hits Fan When Trump Takes Office"
"Sh*t Hits Fan When Trump Takes Office"
by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
"Renowned Attorney Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and later Freedom Watch, is back with an update on the crime and violence cooking with the commie Dems, RINO’s and Deep State. First, the crime coverup is the pardon of Hunter Biden that spans 10 years of alleged crime. First Lady Jill Biden is elated about the pardon for son Hunter. Klayman says, “The fact that Jill Biden is so happy about this is because she is one of the actors and conspirators in the bribery, which took place with regard to communist China, Ukraine and Russia. She benefitted by it. Who was the money launderer? Her son, Hunter Biden. She could have been indicted along with Hunter as well as brother James of the Biden crime family for the bribery and money laundering. I think his brother James will get a pardon because he’s dead to rights with what has been uncovered. I think more pardons are coming. Joe Biden does not care at this point. The guy has no legitimate reputation.”
Klayman predicted just about three weeks ago, “The communists, the atheists, the radicals and the Left are going to get violent, and we better be prepared for that." What happened recently is there have been multiple death threats against Donald Trump’s cabinet picks. Klayman says, “The same is true with Kash Patel. The fact they want to take his head off means he is perceived to be a threat. It’s the same thing in regard to Pete Hegseth. It’s the same thing in regard to Tulsi Gabbard. They don’t like these people because they cannot be controlled. They don’t like Musk and, God forbid, I hope it does not happen, but I think the Left is going to try to kill Musk along with Trump again. I have had death threats myself recently, and this is where we are. You got to do what you got to do. The Founding Fathers did not worry about it. They did it under the Grace of God. Divine Providence is what they talk about in the Declaration of Independence.”
This is just the opening act from the Left. Klayman says “They are the disciples of Karl Marx, which are disciples of the devil. As I predicted in our last podcast, the violence is just beginning once Trump takes office and starts implementing what he says he is going to do with regard to the border, the criminal justice system, with regard to the Middle East and many other things. Trump just threatened Iran if the hostages are not released. You are going to get all these radical terrorist sympathizers that will come out of the woodwork on that. Already, Iran has sent hit squads to try to kill Trump. This has not come to fruition yet, but once he becomes President, all hell is going to break loose. You can bet that is going to happen. Trump is up against a number of individuals in the House and in the Senate that will do whatever they can to block Trump. So, whenever he actually takes executive action and pushes things through, excuse the French, the shi* is going to hit the fan. You are going to see them in the streets, as we saw in the last few weeks, with the reported attempts to kill the Trump nominees. It’s there.” There is more in the 49-minute interview.
Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he goes One-on-One with renowned lawyer and government corruption fighter, Larry Klayman, founder of FreedomWatchUSA.org as he updates us on the Hunter Biden pardon, the panicked criminals on the Left and RINO’s that are planning to thwart Trump and America.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Canadian Prepper, "Alert! Korea Prepares For WW3, Martial Law; New Unknown Lethal Virus Spreading"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 12/3/24
"Alert! Korea Prepares For WW3, Martial Law;
New Unknown Lethal Virus Spreading"
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"This Massive Food Recall Is Affecting Costco, Walmart & Other Grocery Stores"
Adventures With Danno, PM 12/3/24
"This Massive Food Recall Is Affecting
Costco, Walmart & Other Grocery Stores"
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"A Look to the Heavens"
“Can you see them? This famous Messier object M89, a seemingly simple elliptical galaxy, is surrounded by faint shells and plumes. The cause of the shells is currently unknown, but possibly tidal tails related to debris left over from absorbing numerous small galaxies in the past billion years. Alternatively the shells may be like ripples in a pond, where a recent collision with another large galaxy created density waves that ripple through this galactic giant.
Click image for larger size.
Regardless of the actual cause, the featured image highlights the increasing consensus that at least some elliptical galaxies have formed in the recent past, and that the outer halos of most large galaxies are not really smooth but have complexities induced by frequent interactions with - and accretions of - smaller nearby galaxies. The halo of our own Milky Way Galaxy is one example of such unexpected complexity. M89 is a member of the nearby Virgo cluster of galaxies which lies about 50 million light years distant.”
o
"Domino's Is Being Financially Eviscerated By The Restaurant Apocalypse"
Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 12/3/24
"Domino's Is Being Financially Eviscerated
By The Restaurant Apocalypse"
"This has been a ruthless year for American pizza chains. Even for giants like Domino's, financial problems are piling up. Consumers are eating out less in 2024 because their buying power has been hit by the rising costs of everyday goods and services. Consequently, the largest pizza chain in the U.S. is seeing sales drop like a rock. There are just so many things going wrong for Domino's right now that the chain is being forced to rethink its brick-and-mortar footprint and its business model not to crash like other companies did earlier this year. That's right, more storefronts are about to go dark. And if you want to discover the true extent of the crisis that is hammering Americans’ favorite restaurants, stay with us until the end of the video."
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Jeremiah Babe, "Everyone Is Broke And Spending Money Like Crazy
Jeremiah Babe, 12/3/24
"Everyone Is Broke And Spending Money Like Crazy;
Banks Hit Credit Card Users Hard"
Comments here:
"Fathers and Sons"
Vanitas, by Pieter Claesz, 1625
"Fathers and Sons"
Biden's predictable betrayal and
the culpable media that sold their souls.
by Joel Bowman
“O shame, where is thy blush?”
~ "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare (Act 3, Scene 4)
“I said I’d abide by the jury decision, and I will do that. And I will not pardon [Hunter Biden].” That a sitting president of the United States of America should be obliged to issue (and repeat) the above remarks during the course of a presidential election is, in and of itself, a shameful occurrence. That he should then go back on his word is perhaps worse still. And yet, who among us is surprised by the whole sordid affair?
Even in these topsy-turvy times, where victims are regarded as heroes and vice lords over virtue, there remains no public scandal that an elected official cannot further cheapen, no flailing institution they will not degrade and no heartfelt plea they hesitate to dishonor.
It wasn’t enough that the first family has been embroiled in crime, controversy and coverup since before The Big Guy’s election, now the weary nation over which they presided must learn (once again) that there are rules for the ruled and rules for the rulers, and never the twain shall meet.
“No” Means “Yes”
Although presidents have pardoned family members before (Abe Lincoln pardoned his wife’s half-sister; Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother; The Donald pardoned his son’s father-in-law), this is the first time the father has pardoned the son, thereby betraying Justice’s holy ghost.
As to the culpability of the accused, there is no doubt. Hunter was found guilty in two separate trials over the summer, one relating to federal tax charges and the other for lying about his drug use while purchasing a firearm. The kind of charges, in other words, that might get your average criminal locked up. But then, the Bidens are not your average band of criminals.
Even before the trial, the White House ruled out a pardon. This they did with all the full faith and credibility owing to a family of such lowly distinction. “I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal,” declared Biden, on July 11. The president reiterated his stance two days later, this time standing next to that other paragon of truth telling, Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “I said I’d abide by the jury decision, and I will do that. And I will not pardon him.”
Biden made several more attempts at the truth, but mostly palmed the responsibility of communicating with mere voters to his unfortunate Fibber in Chief, Karine Jean-Pierre, for whom one can only surmise, “no” clearly means “yes.” Here she is, on July 26: “It’s still - it’s still a no. It’s still a no,” she said. And when a reporter followed up with, “And will it always be a ‘no’?” “It’s still a no. It will be a no. It - it is a no. And I don’t have anything else to add. Will he pardon his son? No.”
Believe All Bidens: Indeed, even after Hunter pleaded guilty on all charges, including withholding $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019, President Biden himself went so far as to say he was “fully satisfied” that his son had received a fair trial and that he would abide by the decision of the courts.
As late as November 7, two days after the Bidens were handed their White House eviction notice, the administration’s officials were still spelling “yes” with an “n” and an “o.” Poor Jean-Pierre, the Biden’s hired diversity gun, now squarely in the firing line herself. Here she is again, suffering the indignation of being asked questions by apparently deaf journalists: “We’ve been asked that question multiple times,” huffed she. “Our answer stands, which is no.”
To the awe and astonishment of none, the legacy media was quick to fall in line, marching lockstep under their favorite banner: “Believe all Bidens.” Variously described as “presidential,” “stoic” and “a moment of moral clarity” by gushing anchors and fawning opinion columnists, one almost had the impression that the popular presses actually believed the manufactured narrative.
Few in the far fallen fourth estate were as close to the action – and as detached from reality – as the former White House propagandist turned mainstream bullhorn, Jen Psaki. Here she was, front and center on spin central, MSNBC, the week of Hunter’s conviction on multiple felony gun charges, back in June. “Joe Biden's character as a public servant is what drove him to make clear that the law applies to everyone,” a fauxmotional Psaki assured viewers. “The justice system that convicted his only surviving son is the same justice system he vowed to protect. If that doesn’t tell you who Joe Biden is, I don’t really know what does.”
Future, Meet Past: Truer words seldom spoken by a lying serpintongue. And now, as another shameful chapter draws to a close on America’s public stage, we do not begrudge a troubled family their tragedy and woe, only that they saw fit, in blind pursuit of power, to impose the whole tawdry affair upon a nation, already wearied by deceit and treachery.
As to the future, so inextricably entwined with the past... When Hamlet chides his mother, Gertrude, in Bill Shakespeare’s masterpiece, he does so as a son lamenting a perceived lack of moral guidance.
"Rebellious hell,
If thou canst mutine in a matron’s bones,
To flaming youth let virtue be as wax
And melt in her own fire. Proclaim no shame
When the compulsive ardor gives the charge,
Since frost itself as actively doth burn,
And reason panders will."
In other words, if reason plays maidservant to reckless abandon in those to whom age ought to have taught temperance, patience, resolve, what hope then have the flaming youth? Or, as the drug-addled dauphin of the Democrats, Hunter Biden, might have pleaded, “But Dad, what did you expect of me? You’re a dirtbag too!”
Dan, I Allegedly, "Crazy Predictions for 2025 - Should You Worry?"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, AM 12/3/24
"Crazy Predictions for 2025 -
Should You Worry?"
"Saxo Bank's shocking 2024 predictions are here - from Trump and Musk "destroying" the dollar to NVIDIA's massive growth potential and China's $50 trillion stimulus plan. But how realistic are these wild forecasts? Join me in the Dominican Republic as I break down these outrageous predictions, including the possibility of bio-printed hearts, OPEC's potential downfall, and AI taxation. We'll examine Saxo Bank's track record, including their previous misses like Apple buying Tesla and the S&P 500's crash predictions."
Comments here:
"How It Really Is"
MORALS? This is 'Murica, fool! "Morals? We ain't got no morals.
We don't need no morals. I don't have to show you any stinking morals!"
Concept gleefully stolen from here:
"We Really Are Living In The End Times, And 2025 Is Going To Be A Nightmare"
"We Really Are Living In The End Times,
And 2025 Is Going To Be A Nightmare"
by Michael Snyder
"Many people seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding regarding where we are in the grand scheme of things. We are not living at a time of endless peace and prosperity. Instead, we are living at a time of war, famine, pestilence and major natural disasters. We really are living in the end times, and the coming year is going to be filled with crisis after crisis. The good news is that you get to be here for it. All of human history has been building up to this particular chapter, and you are one of the lucky ones that is going to get to experience it.
According to the Institute for Economics & Peace, the number of military conflicts that are currently active is the highest that we have seen since World War II…"Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia… and so on. There are up to 56 active conflicts in the world, the highest number since World War II. Moreover, these carry an increasingly international component, with 92 countries involved in wars outside their borders. These are data from the latest Global Peace Index produced annually by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), a think tank that analyzes everything from military investment and the cost of violence to military laws and deaths in combat in 163 states and territories. “Getting the information is a challenge, but it allows us to compare dynamics. And what we see is a deterioration of peace over the last decade, especially in the last five years,” says Michael Collins, executive director of IEP."
Yes, we really are living at a time of wars and rumors of wars. In fact, this week there were several more extremely alarming developments. For a detailed analysis, please see an article that I just wrote entitled “World War III Is Heating Up On Several Fronts, But Most Americans Have No Idea”. By this time next year, our world will look far different than it does right now. Leaders all over the globe have developed a really bad case of “war fever”, and we are closer to nuclear war than we have ever been before.
Meanwhile, hunger continues to intensify in many areas of the globe. If you have plenty of food to eat, you should be quite grateful, because there are tens of millions of starving people that would trade places with you in a second. In fact, there are tens of millions of people in the nation of Sudan alone that are dealing with severe hunger at this moment…"More than half the people in this nation of 50 million are suffering from severe hunger. Hundreds are estimated to be dying from starvation and hunger-related disease each day.
According to Reuters, every day one woman named Fleg walks two hours each way just to pick a few leaves so that she can fill her stomach with a “barely edible mush”…So, every day after dawn, Fleg and other emaciated women from the camp make a two-hour trek to a forest to pick leaves off bushes. On a recent outing, several ate the leaves raw, to dull their hunger. Back at the camp, the women cooked the leaves, boiling them in a pot of water sprinkled with tamarind seeds to blunt the bitter taste. For Fleg and the thousands of others in the camp, the barely edible mush is a daily staple. It isn’t enough. Some have starved to death, camp medics say. Fleg’s mother is one of them. “I came here and found nothing to eat,” said Fleg. “There are days when I don’t know if I’m alive or dead.”
This is how people are really living on the other side of the planet. Hunger is rising all over the world, but most Americans do not care because it has not affected them. I believe that global hunger will get even worse in 2025, and I am convinced that pestilence will also be a major theme during the upcoming year.
Many of us are keeping a very close eye on the bird flu. It is being reported that the number of confirmed human cases in the state of California this year has now reached 31…"The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on November 27 warned residents about a second batch of raw milk on retail shelves that has tested positive for avian flu virus, as official await the results from the latest bulk milk tank testing on the farm in Fresno County that produces the products.
In other developments, the CDPH reported two more infections in dairy workers, raising the state’s human cases this year to 31, all but 1 involving exposure to sick cows. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed those 2 new cases, pushing the national total this year to 55."
Will this be the next great public health crisis? I don’t know. Scientists are also deeply concerned about outbreaks of the Marburg virus, a new strain of Mpox, and Oropouch…"A warning has been issued to travelers over the spread of three diseases, including the Marburg virus. It’s a close cousin of Ebola that’s been dubbed the “bleeding eye” virus due to one of its symptoms. Marburg, Mpox and Oropouch (commonly called “sloth fever”) are spreading in multiple countries, according to the UK Department of Health’s site, Travel Health Pro.
Marburg is a rare but “severe hemorrhagic fever that can cause serious illness and death,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says, adding that there is no treatment or vaccine for it. But, if detected early, supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival, according to the Africa CDC."
I know that a lot of people don’t want to hear this, but what is eventually coming is going to be so much worse than the last pandemic. We also live at a time when we are getting hammered by major natural disaster after major natural disaster. In 2023, the number of “billion dollar disasters” in the United States set an all-time record, and we are very close to breaking that record this year…"With the addition of three recent Atlantic hurricanes, the U.S. has experienced 24 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters this year – a near-record number, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
On Thursday, NOAA’s NCEI released its assessment of the global climate, including U.S. weather disasters. Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton and one tornado outbreak were added to this year’s billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, bringing the total to 24 events as of October. According to the NCEI, this year’s billion-dollar weather and climate disasters are second only to last year, which had 27 by this point in the year."
Needless to say, a lot of people out there just want to hear that everything is going to be rainbows and lollipops from now on. But that isn’t the truth. The truth is that the times that we are living in are going to be extremely challenging. In my new book entitled “Why”, I explain that God has told us history in advance and that this is extremely powerful evidence for the Christian faith. If you can show someone that God told us very specific things about the times that we are living in centuries in advance, it is going to be very difficult for that individual to ignore the gospel.
So many “experts” are giving us their opinions about what our future will look like. But if you want to know what our future is going to look like, just read the Book of Revelation. We are the Book of Revelation generation, and there is no other time in all of human history that I would have rather lived than right now."
Adventures With Danno, "Walmart Shopping: Affordable Options & Fun Gift Ideas"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno,12/3/24
"Walmart Shopping:
Affordable Options & Fun Gift Ideas"
Comments here:
Bill Bonner, "The 'Big Man' Approach"
"The 'Big Man' Approach"
by Bill Bonner
New money was printed up and added to the money supply.
The national debt rose by $8 trillion and the resulting
inflation caused a 25% increase in the general price level.
"The strong do what they can; the weak suffer what they must."
- Thucydides
Baltimore, Maryland - "Donald Trump is going to Make America Great Again... in the same way, most likely, he made it great the last time he was president. Investors are excited. Here’s Markets Insider: "Despite mounting geopolitical and macroeconomic concerns globally, international investors seem to agree on one thing: load up on US assets. Yet, Ruchir Sharma wrote for the Financial Times that this mentality is inflating an unprecedented bubble and skewing fundamentals in other economies.
According to Sharma, US shares account for almost 70% of the leading global stock index, far above its level of about 30% of the index in the 1980s. Apart from positive earnings outlooks among top US companies, expectations that President-elect Donald Trump will boost the domestic economy has kept the world invested.
Last time, Trump increased spending more than any president in US history... and added more debt than ever before. As in any debt-fueled spending spree, the initial effect was pleasant. Stocks went up. People spent their stimmy checks. It felt like a real boom. And then, the bills came in. They couldn’t be paid. So, new money was printed up and added to the money supply. The national debt rose by $8 trillion and the resulting inflation caused a 25% increase in the general price level."
Just to clarify... the hopes, dreams and plans of the multitudes cannot be better realized than by their own efforts. They bus. They sweat. They tote and hustle. There is no other source of bounty... no other spring of plenitude... no finer world or more perfect union is possible than the one they build for themselves.
Anything that gets in their way reduces the sum of their satisfaction. It could be a natural disaster, like rain at a picnic. It could be an invasion... from another country... or from outer space. But more than likely, it will be their own bossy-pants elites, in control of their own government. A president can only really ‘boost’ an economy by keeping them under control.
But elites are elites for a reason. They are smart. Well-connected. Ambitious. And educated. In a stable society they use their smarts to gradually take more and more of the nation’s wealth... and its power. At first, they are helpful... later, they are corrupted by power, and become insufferable parasites. In the beginning, they are confident, pioneers and innovators, who want free speech, free trade, and a free society. Later they want prisons, sanctions and free lunches; they circle the wagons to try to protect their power and wealth with regulations, tariffs, bombs and bullying.
In the news comes this message from Donald Trump: "The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER," Donald Trump wrote in a social media post Saturday outlining his plans to reestablish US global economic primacy after stepping into office next month.
"We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty US Dollar, or they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US Economy. They can go find another 'sucker!' There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the US Dollar in International Trade, and any Country that tries should wave goodbye to America," Trump warned."
Free trade? Forget it. Choose your own currency? Not as long as we can stop you! And we’ve got a crackerjack arsenal, including things that go ‘boom.’ LA Times: "Trump demands immediate release of Oct. 7 hostages, says otherwise there will be 'HELL TO PAY'."
It’s either cooperation or confrontation, free trade or managed trade, diplomacy…or brute force. On the downswing of the Primary Political Trend, the rule of law gives way to rules imposed by men. And whether you voted for Kamala or Donald, the style might be different, but the trajectory would be much the same.
In the Eisenhower era, voters might have scoffed at The Donald and scorned his Big Man approach. But in 2024, they chose confrontation. They wanted a fighter. And they’ve got one. A Big, Powerful Government guy. But then... what are Messrs. Musk and Ramaswamy up to? They’re both ‘cooperation’ guys. They say they want to make government smaller, and more efficient, like one of their efficient companies. Are they really running low on cynicalism? Or are we? Tune in tomorrow..."
"Unfortunately..."
“They say if you don't know your history, you're
doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, most Americans
can't even figure out what's going on in the present.”
- Thor Benson
“All this had happened before, perhaps a million times, and because of this was doomed. There was no ordinary future any more, only this ecstatic tormented terrified present. The future had passed through the present like a sword. We were already, even eye to eye and lip to lip, deep in the horrors to come.”
- Iris Murdoch, "The Black Prince"
And they don't care or want to know...
Monday, December 2, 2024
Jeremiah Babe, "They Want To Seize Your Money For Digital Dollars; Everything Is Pointing To War"
Jeremiah Babe, 12/2/24
"They Want To Seize Your Money For Digital Dollars;
Everything Is Pointing To War"
Comments here:
"Retail Is Dead"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 12/2/24
"Retail Is Dead"
"Black Friday results that prove retail as we know it is finished. With online spending hitting a mind-blowing $113 billion in just one day, it's clear the shopping landscape has changed forever. I'm coming to you from the beautiful beaches of Grand Turk, where even paradise isn't immune to these retail shifts. We'll explore the decline in physical store traffic, the surge in online purchases, and what this means for malls, big box stores, and small businesses alike."
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Musical Interlude: Gnomusy (David Caballero), "Footprints On The Sea"
Gnomusy (David Caballero), "Footprints On The Sea"
"A Look to the Heavens"
"This fantastic skyscape lies near the edge of NGC 2174 a star forming region about 6,400 light-years away in the nebula-rich constellation of Orion. It follows mountainous clouds of gas and dust carved by winds and radiation from the region's newborn stars, now found scattered in open star clusters embedded around the center of NGC 2174, off the top of the frame.
Though star formation continues within these dusty cosmic clouds they will likely be dispersed by the energetic newborn stars within a few million years. Recorded at infrared wavelengths by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014, the interstellar scene spans about 6 light-years. Scheduled for launch in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope is optimized for exploring the Universe at infrared wavelengths."
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