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Tuesday, June 24, 2025

"Our Planet 16K HDR Dolby Vision, 120 Fps Will Blow Your Mind"

Full screen recommended.
8K Earth, "Our Planet 16K HDR Dolby Vision,
 120 Fps Will Blow Your Mind"
"Dive into the stunning visuals of our planet in breathtaking 16K HDR Dolby Vision at an exhilarating 120fps! This immersive experience will transport you to the heart of nature, showcasing the beauty and diversity of our planet like never before. Get ready to be amazed as vibrant colors and crystal-clear details come to life on your screen. In this video, we explore the wonders of the natural world, from lush forests to magnificent oceans, all captured in stunning high-definition. Whether you're a nature enthusiast or just looking for a visual treat, this video is sure to leave you in awe." 
Comments here:

Absolutely incredible, astonishingly beautiful!

"The Lizardmen’s Evil Intentions"

"The Lizardmen’s Evil Intentions"
by Todd Hayen

"Lizardmen. Yeah, right. David Icke’s invention. Is it based on truth? Who knows. It’s about as good as any other theory. But it is rather common to come up with something quite outlandish if you can find another way to reconcile certain extremely vile human behavior.

If you run across a Son of Sam type character - a serial killer named David Berkowitz who murdered six people in New York City during the 1970s - or even a Hitler - and we all know what he did - it is much easier to write them off as some inhuman entity than just a whacked-out human being. Otherwise, we would have to admit we are all capable of such atrocities. Hitler and the Son of Sam were both possessed by evil spirits, or the Devil himself. How could they have done what they did if not?

So, why not say all these evil oligarchs are lizards? Easier to define them as a race of shape-shifting, extraterrestrial, reptilian humanoids than as actual humans. Icke’s lizards are often called “Draconians” or “Anunnaki,” originating from the Draco constellation, and they all secretly control Earth. These beings allegedly manipulate human societies by posing as influential figures in politics, royalty, finance, and media.

According to Icke, they maintain their human appearance through holographic distortion or genetic hybridization but can revert to their reptilian form as they wish. He claims they’ve ruled humanity for millennia, creating and controlling major institutions via a network of secret societies, notably the Illuminati, to maintain global dominance.

Sure, why not? Pretty out there, for sure. I would say Icke is a bona fide fruitcake if I didn’t know better. The guy would be very difficult to conventionally diagnose as psychotic or schizophrenic or something worse. He just doesn’t fit the diagnosis for a variety of reasons. So then, what’s up? Is he right? Well, at this point in this insane nightmare we are all experiencing, it would not take much to convince me these people in question are indeed lizards. Or maybe Satan’s minions, or something worse. It becomes more and more difficult to see them as whacked-out humans. Although that is still possible, but man, there would have to be an awful lot of them that were whacked. And that seems even more implausible to me at times than shape-shifting lizards from the Draco constellation.

Think of all the crazy stuff we’ve seen - a phantom virus allegedly escaping a lab in China doing “gain of function” research, backed and financed by the US government, against federal laws, allegedly known by the director of the NIAID, Anthony Fauci. Imagine, if you will, the government of the US allegedly involved in a conscious and deliberate plan to vaccinate the entirety of the world (over 8 billion human beings) with a genetic-altering drug that was barely tested (who cares if it was tested for safety, that was the last thing they wanted, a safe vaccine). So, was genocide the intention? Seems so. Then imagine, if you will, the deliberate and conscious effort to jab children with this evil concoction, and to continue this campaign (children and adults) long after it was clearly determined this vaccine was killing people. It certainly wasn’t helping people get over a virus that was long gone and not a threat to anyone.

Now, let’s talk about other examples of what some call the globalists’ evil actions to control the masses. The World Economic Forum (WEF), led by Klaus Schwab, is often at the center of these accusations. Their “Great Reset” initiative, launched in 2020, supposedly aims to reshape global economies post-COVID, but critics like those on alternative media claim it’s a front for consolidating power.

They point to Schwab’s talk of “stakeholder capitalism” and partnerships with corporations as a way to sideline democratic governments, giving unelected elites - think big banks and tech giants - more control over global policies. Some even tie this to the WEF’s Young Global Leaders program, which has trained folks like Canada’s Justin Trudeau and France’s Emmanuel Macron, who are accused of pushing policies that prioritize globalist agendas over national interests, like heavy-handed COVID lockdowns or carbon taxes that hit the working class hardest.

Then there’s the World Health Organization (WHO), which some say is in the pocket of private interests like Big Pharma and Bill Gates. Critics argue the WHO’s push for a global pandemic treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations could centralize health policy, potentially forcing countries to adopt mandatory vaccinations or lockdowns. They point out that 85% of WHO’s funding comes from private sources, not governments, suggesting it’s more about profit than public health. For instance, the rush to roll out mRNA vaccines globally, even for kids, despite spotty safety data, is seen by some as a power grab to normalize medical mandates.

Leaders like the past Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, often catch flak for allegedly being WEF puppets, but others, like New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, also get called out for enforcing strict COVID policies - like near-total lockdowns and vaccine passports = that seemed more about control than science, especially when the virus’s threat waned. These policies, critics say, crushed small businesses and personal freedoms while funneling wealth to corporate giants. And don’t forget the likes of China’s Xi Jinping, whose social credit system is seen by some as the ultimate globalist wet dream: total surveillance and control over every aspect of life, disguised as public safety.

Now, let’s get to Jeffrey Epstein and his buddies, because this is where it gets really dark. Investigative journalist Whitney Webb, in her book "One Nation Under Blackmail," argues Epstein wasn’t just a creepy billionaire but a key player in a state-sponsored blackmail operation tied to US and Israeli intelligence. She claims his network, involving high-profile figures like Bill Gates, Prince Andrew, and Les Wexner, was used to trap powerful people in compromising situations, ensuring their loyalty to elite agendas.

Webb ties this to the WEF’s Young Global Leaders program, noting how Epstein’s connections overlapped with globalist circles, suggesting a web of influence where sex, money, and power keep the masses under control. Her perspective is that these aren’t isolated crimes but part of a broader system to manipulate global governance, with Epstein as a cog in the machine.

And then there’s the really wild stuff some folks believe about the elite - like secret Satanic rituals and worse. Certain conspiracy circles, especially online, claim world leaders and powerful figures are part of occult groups that worship dark forces, holding bizarre ceremonies to maintain their grip on power. They talk about a supposed drug called adrenochrome, which they allege is harvested from children in horrific ways to keep elites young and energized. Icke’s aforementioned lizardmen (and women) are also allegedly involved in these rituals. These same groups sometimes point to underground networks they believe traffic kids for the rich and powerful, tying it all to Satanism (or Lizardism).

Look, this is pure conspiracy territory - stuff you’d see on fringe forums, not in any verified reports - but it’s out there, and people eat it up because it’s easier to imagine pure evil-possessed individuals, or lizards, than corrupt humans pulling the strings. It’s a lot to swallow, I know. Whether it’s the WEF, WHO, or Epstein’s elite pals, the throughline for critics is control - over your health, your wallet, your freedom. Are they all lizards? Probably not (well, maybe). But when you see this kind of power consolidation, it’s no wonder people start reaching for wild theories to make sense of it."

Todd Hayen PhD is a registered psychotherapist practicing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He holds a PhD in depth psychotherapy and an MA in Consciousness Studies. He specializes in Jungian, archetypal, psychology. Todd also writes for his own substack, which you can read here.
o
Who are 'They'?
"It's no wonder truth is stranger than fiction. 
Fiction has to make sense."
 - Mark Twain 

Someone asked about David Icke and his work. Rather than getting into a discussion of it, here's a FREE download of "The Biggest Secret." Read it, and decide for yourself what to believe. From the introduction: "David Icke's most powerful and explosive book so far. Every man, woman and child on the planet is affected by the stunning information that Icke exposes. "The Biggest Secret" is a unique book and is quite rightly dubbed "The book that will change the world." No one who reads it will ever be the same again. If you want to wake up and see the conspiracy this book is for you."

Freely download "The Biggest Secret", by David Icke, here:
Don't judge it until you've read it, with an open mind...

The Daily "Near You?"

Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA. for stopping by!

"You Take This Thing..."

"That life. This life. It looks as if you can have both. I mean, they're both right there, one on top of the other, and it looks as if they'll blend. But they never will. So, you take this thing. You take this thing you want, and you put it in a box and you close the lid. You can let your fingers trace the cracks, the places where the light gets in, the dark gets out, but the lid stays on. You don't look inside. You don't look at this thing you want so much, because you Can. Not. Have. It. So there's this box, you know, with the thing inside, and you could throw it away or shoot it into space; you could set it on fire and watch it burn to ashes, but really, none of that would make a difference, because you cannot destroy what you want. It only makes you want it more. So. You take this thing you want and you put it in a box and you close the lid. And you hold the box close to your heart, which is where it wants to go, and you pretend it doesn't kill you every time you feel yourself breathe."
- Megan Hart

"We Were There..."

"Someday stars will wind down or blow up. Someday death will cover us all like the water of a lake and perhaps nothing will ever come to the surface to show that we were ever there. But we WERE there, and during the time we lived, we were alive. That's the truth - what is, what was, what will be - not what could be, what should have been, what never can be."
- Orson Scott Card
"Now the voices and the sound of movement were gone, and the stream could be heard running quietly under its banks. The air was full of the scent of water and of flowers. She walked, quiet, while the house began to reverberate: a band had started up. She walked beside the river while the music thudded, feeling herself as a heavy, impervious, insensitive lump that, like a planet doomed always to be dark on one side, had vision in front only, a myopic searchlight blind except for the tiny three-dimensional path open immediately before her eyes in which the outline of a tree, a rose, emerged then submerged in dark. She thought, with the dove's voices of her solitude. Where? But where? How? Who? No, but where, where? Then silence and the birth of a repetition. Where? Here. Here? Here, where else, you fool, you poor fool, where else has it been, ever?"
- Doris Lessing

"How Much I Spend In A Day Living In Russia"

Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Full screen recommended.
Lisa with Love, 6/24/25
"How Much I Spend In A Day Living In Russia"
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
Travelling with Russell, 6/24/25
"I Travelled 10,000 Km For A Real Big Mac"
"McDonald's left Russia 3 years ago, so I decided to travel 10,000 km for a Real Big Mac, starting out in Moscow, Russia, at Vkusna/Tochka. Which is the rebranded Russian McDonald's? I travel across the world to see how different McDonald's really is."
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Adventures With Danno, "Items at Aldi Everyone Should Be Buying Right Now!"

Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, AM 6/24/25
"Items at Aldi Everyone Should Be Buying Right Now!"
Comments here:

"How It Really Is"

"The national debt has risen to $37 trillion.That means that we have added four trillion dollars to the national debt in just three months. It is the largest single debt in the entire history of our planet, and it will never be paid off."
o
Jethro Tull, "Locomotive Breath"

"What Foolish Forgetfulness..."

“You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, so all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last. You have all the fears of mortals and all the desires of immortals… What foolish forgetfulness of mortality to defer wise resolutions to the fiftieth or sixtieth year, and to intend to begin life at a point to which few have attained.”
- Denis Diderot

"We Are All Fed Up - Something Is Going To Break!"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 6/24/25
"We Are All Fed Up - Something Is Going To Break!"
"Are you as fed up with the chaos as I am? In today’s video, we’re diving into the jaw-dropping “18% Living Wage Restaurant Scam” that’s got everyone furious! Imagine dining out and finding an extra 18% fee slapped onto your bill - on top of taxes, tips, and overpriced drinks. It’s outrageous, and the ones who lose the most? Hardworking servers and bartenders like my son or Kate’s husband, who are trying to make an honest living. This economy is testing us all, and I’m breaking it all down.
From crazy new taxes in Illinois to skyrocketing gas prices in California and even robo-taxis in Texas, everything is spiraling! I’m sharing real stories, like a roofer battling State Farm for a claim from 2021, and why the housing market in places like Las Vegas is completely upside down. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the latest PPP fraud scandal that’s truly unbelievable. It’s time to wake up to what’s happening around us."
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"Mullahs, Rabbis & Priests"

"Mullahs, Rabbis & Priests"
by The Zman

"One of the things ignored about the outbreak of war between Iran, Israel and the United States is that it brought the great religions into conflict. The prior wars in the region have been mostly Israel against one of the Muslim countries or the United States against one of the Muslim countries. This is the first time that all three religions were in open conflict with one another. The conflict reveals some things about the state of each of the Abrahamic religions and the cultures they represent.

The cause of the war, of course, was the sneak attack by Israel, and supported by the United States, aimed at decapitating the Iranian government. Putting everything about the region aside, it was an insane act. Israel is a tiny country, while Iran is a big country, so any war between the two will be lopsided. The only way this made any sense is if Israel assumed they would get help from the United States, but even then, it was a reckless act that wreaks of desperation.

That is the part ignored in the coverage. Israel is a country with very serious structural problems right now. The demographics are the main driver. While Israel fertility is above replacement, it is largely due to the ultra-orthodox (Haredi). Their fertility rate is a whopping 6.48 children per woman. Meanwhile, the Westernized, cosmopolitan population has a below replacement TFR. This demographic revolution is stressing Israeli politics at every level.

There is also the issue of Israeli identity, which was born out of the conflict with the British and then flowered in the endless conflicts with the Arabs. To be an Israeli means to be the David in a perpetual fight against a Goliath. The trouble is the supply of Goliaths is down to one, Iran. In many respects, the Israeli war against Iran is as much about the Israeli need for an enemy as anything else. Israel needs the fear of Persia to keep its population from turning on each other.

We see something similar with the United States. Generations of reckless disregard by the parasitic ruling elite have left America drained of its asabiyyah. The political class senses this, even if they lack the intellect to understand it, so they are always looking for an enemy to unite against. Notice the lack of dissenting voices in Washington as Trump stumbled through the crisis. They were just happy to once again have a common enemy to justify their existence.

As an aside, this may explain some of the Israel worship. The actors hired to fill out the roles in our political theater no longer wave the flag or speak in traditionally patriotic terms, because none of them believe in the ideals of America. Many of them hate those ideals as being white. That leaves a great void. For many, filling that with a bizarre worship of Israel and Jewish people is the answer. Hollow men will fill their souls with anything to avoid hearing the sound of their hollowness.

Putting that aside, this crisis and the proxy war with Russia all have the feel of a bad remake of a classic film because the United States is no longer a nation of people who optimistically look to the future. It is a land of old people and foreigners who fear what may lie ahead. As with Israel, the old gods now haunt the people. Christianity in America is in a shambles and the American ideology that grew out of American Protestantism has curdled into a collection of resentments.

The United States is now a land of priests, with no natural authority to proselytize to the rest of the world. The instinct to lecture remains, but the purpose and authority are gone, so we get men with no moral authority telling the rest of the world how they should and should not act. Notice how much they love saying, “Iran should never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.” It makes them feel like it is a Sunday long ago and they are in the pulpit of a packed church.

Then we have Iran, which for half a century has been the symbol of radical Islam for most of the West. The Iran of today was born at the very beginning of the Islamic spiritual awakening that has defined the region ever since. Even though Iran is a Shia society, Shia Islam is a minority sect within Islam, it has been viewed as the center of political Islam, largely due to its size. Iran also has a unique identity within the Arab world, considering itself Persian rather than Arab.

Iran has always been the most sophisticated society within the Arab world, due to its history and its religion. Shia Islam is like high church Protestantism while Sunni Islam is like low church Protestantism. Within Shia Islam, you do not get to call yourself an Imam just because you read the Koran. It takes years of study and mentorship before you join the clerical class. Like low church Protestantism, any Sunni can set up shop as a holy man and start developing a following.

Like Israel and the United States, the old gods are starting to fade within Iran, as the population settled into modernity. The revolutionary fervor is long gone, as most of that generation are now dead. The religious fervor has now settled into a cultural and political framework that defines an increasingly modern population. Like all modern people, Iran has seen a collapse in fertility. At the start of the revolution, it had a TFR of 6.38 and now the TFR stands at 1.68.

Like Israel and the United States, Iran is now suffering from an identity crisis as it faces the challenges brought on by modernity. The religious structures remain in place, which are supposed to give meaning and purpose to life, but the population is struggling to remember the authority upon which those structures are built. In the cities, people care more about convenience than Islam. The same cancer eating away at the West is eating away at Iranian society.

This is why the great war between the three major religions looked like a ridiculous pantomime of past conflicts. The audience was expected to sing along with the familiar tunes but was too old or too disinterested to get into it. The actors themselves are too exhausted to put on more than a token effort. The three great civilizations as represented by the three great religions are exhausted. Both sense the future excludes them, but that is too terrifying to consider."
o
The truth is what it is, whether you like it or not, and here's the truth...

Judge Napolitano, "Amb. Charles Freeman: Why Presidents Love War"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 6/24/25
"Amb. Charles Freeman: Why Presidents Love War"
Comments here:

"Mohammad Marandi: Iran Smashes Tel Aviv Before Ceasefire, Israel Just Lost"

Full screen recommended.
Danny Haiphong, 6/24/25
"Mohammad Marandi: Iran Smashes Tel Aviv 
Before Ceasefire, Israel Just Lost"
"Prof. Mohammad Marandi joins from Iran to provide immediate reaction to the intense developments in the Israel-Iran war over last 24 hours, and explains why Iran just scored a major victory over the Israeli regime amid confusion spread by the Trump administration and its Israeli counterparts."
Comments here:

Gregory Mannarino, "Staged Ceasefire Was A Lie To Propagate More War"

Gregory Mannarino, 6/24/25
"Staged Ceasefire Was A Lie To Propagate More War"
Comments here:

"Back To The Stone Age"

President John F. Kennedy and 
Air Force General Curtis Lemay, April 1962
"Back To The Stone Age"
by Bill Bonner
Youghal, Ireland - "The big news came this morning. Huffington Post: "Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel between Iran is “now in effect” after days of intense bombardments. It comes after the US waded into the regional conflict, siding with Israel by launching strikes on Iran’s three nuclear facilities on Saturday. The US president wrote on Truth Social at 6:08 BST... “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!”

But wait…Minutes later… was this fake news? The Tehran Times: "Iran has not agreed to a ceasefire. Trump is lying again. The president appears to be making up a new lie to force the Iranian government into accepting a ceasefire, believing that the move could pit the Iranian people against the officials and create domestic dissent. 

How much of this war is real? How much is fake? The US attack came while the two sides were in active – but apparently fake – negotiations. Then, sources claim the Iranians were warned of the incoming US bombers (if there were any). They say the Iranians were given time to move people and valuable research supplies out of the target area. Iran returned the favor – intentionally not hitting the US base in Qatar – in its counterattack. And now…a fake ceasefire?

Bunkers busted...people killed...tempers running hot; what was the point? There are only two ways forward...either peace or war. Either you stick to negotiation, courts, laws, rules, customs...and the common, vernacular decency of civilized people. Or, you bomb the hell out of them.

Everybody has his reasons. Ask a murderer why he killed; he’ll have a perfectly sound reason: “He was messing with my girl,” for example. Liars tell their tall tales for a purpose. And every thief needs the money...even if only to prove he can get it. Russia says it is trying to protect the Russian speaking population of Ukraine...is that a good reason? The US invaded Iraq because it said it was ‘fighting terrorism’ or ‘nation building.’ (Cynics said it was just protecting its cheap oil...or providing profits to the firepower industry.) Which of those were good reasons? But even good reasons are often misunderstood.

In 1965, President Johnson launched Operation Rolling Thunder. The objective, nicely summed up by General Curtis LeMay, was to ‘bomb them [North Vietnam] back to the stone age.’ At the time, North Vietnam was seen as the major sponsor of communist aggression in South Vietnam. Operation Rolling Thunder was intended to raise the stakes...force the North Vietnamese to drop out...and thereby protect the South from communism. Was that a good reason?

Long after the war was over, an historic meeting was held in Hanoi. Former US Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, then 79, met with Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, 83. The purpose: to try to understand ‘what went wrong.’ “Didn’t you understand? When we bombed Hanoi; we were trying to send you a message.” “I guess we didn’t understand that,” replied Giap. “We thought you were just trying to kill us.” Later, in a press conference back in the US, Mr. McNamara did one of the classiest things ever done by a US public official. With tears in his eyes, he said he was sorry.

Some reasons are better than others. Mr. Trump has bombed Iran because, he says, “they can’t have nuclear weapons.” Senator James Lankford says we need to protect the thousands of American citizens who live in Israel. And Senator Lindsey Graham says we were “fighting for our freedom.” None of those ‘reasons’ have the ethereal majesty of ‘making the world safe for democracy’ in 1917 or the visual simplicity of blocking the ‘domino effect’ in Vietnam.

Probably, it was Rep. Pat Harrigan, channeling Curtis LeMay, who came up with the best reason to bomb Iran. He said we needed to turn up the heat on the Iranians, “in order to lower it.” Or as Donald Trump himself put it. Yes, we punched you in the nose. But... “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE.”

Monday, June 23, 2025

"Alert! 'Ceasefire' Is Likely A Fake Ploy, Very Dangerous Days Ahead!"

Prepper News, 6/23/25
"Alert! 'Ceasefire' Is Likely A Fake Ploy, 
Very Dangerous Days Ahead!"
Comments here:

"U.S. and Israel Forced Into Ceasefire – Iran Stands Tall Without Backing Down!"

Full screen recommended.
OpenmindedThinker Show, 6/23/25
"U.S. and Israel Forced Into Ceasefire – 
Iran Stands Tall Without Backing Down!"

"In a stunning turn of events, the United States and Israel have been forced to halt their military aggression as Iran stands firm and unshaken. Former President Donald Trump has just announced a "complete and total" ceasefire - shocking the world and sending ripples through global politics. After launching intense airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, the plan has crumbled under pressure. Markets soared as the truth emerged: the so-called “peace” is nothing short of a surrender. Iran didn’t back down. It didn’t dismantle its nuclear program. And it didn’t fold under Israeli and American threats. Instead, it strategically resisted and exposed the weakness of its aggressors. Now the world is watching as Washington and Tel Aviv scramble to save face."
Comments here:
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Full screen recommended.
Times Of India, 6/23/25
"Iran REJECTS Israel Ceasefire; Launches Big Attack,
 Crushes Iron Dome, Beersheba Pounded"
Comments here:

Jeremiah Babe, "Are We In The End Times?"

Jeremiah Babe, 6/23/25
"Are We In The End Times?"
Comments here:

Musical Interlude: Leonard Cohen, "Anthem"

Full screen recommended.
Leonard Cohen, "Anthem"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“To some, the outline of the open cluster of stars M6 resembles a butterfly. M6, also known as NGC 6405, spans about 20 light-years and lies about 2,000 light years distant. M6 can best be seen in a dark sky with binoculars towards the constellation of Scorpius, coving about as much of the sky as the full moon. 

Like other open clusters, M6 is composed predominantly of young blue stars, although the brightest star is nearly orange. M6 is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like M6 helps astronomers calibrate the distance scale of the universe.”

"A Kind Of Stubborn, Unrecognized Courage..."

"For many great deeds are accomplished in times of squalid struggle. There is a kind of stubborn, unrecognized courage which in the lowest depths tenaciously resists the pressures of necessity and ill-doing; there are noble and obscure triumphs observed by no one, unacclaimed by any fanfare. Hardship, loneliness, and penury are a battlefield which has its own heroes, sometimes greater than those lauded in history. Strong and rare characters are thus created; poverty nearly always a foster-mother, may become a true mother, distress may be the nursemaid of pride, and misfortune the milk that nourishes great spirits."
- Victor Hugo

The Universe

“There are no accidents. If it's appeared on your life radar, this is why: to teach you that dreams come true; to reveal that you have the power to fix what's broken and heal what hurts; to catapult you beyond seeing with just your physical senses; and to lift the veils that have kept you from seeing that you're already the person you dreamed you'd become. There are no accidents. And believe me, that was one heck of a dream.”

“Tallyho,”
The Universe

“Thoughts become things... choose the good ones!”

"I Asked For..."

“In my youth I respected the world and life,
I needed nothing but peace of heart;
And yet I changed despite myself and believed in Iktomi's lies.
He seemed to know all the truth, he promised to make me happy.

He made me ask Wakan Tanka for wealth, that I might have power;
I was given poverty, that I might find my inner strength.

I asked for fame, so others would know me;
I was given obscurity, that I might know myself.

I asked for a person to love that I might never be alone;
I was given a life of a hermit, that I might learn to accept myself.

I asked for power, that I might achieve;
I was given weakness, that I might learn to obey.

I asked for health, that I might lead a long life;
I was given infirmity, that I might appreciate each minute.

I asked Mother Earth for strength, that I might have my way;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need for Her.

I asked to live happily, that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might live happily.

I received nothing I asked for, yet all my wishes came true.
Despite myself and Iktomi, my dreams were fulfilled,
I am richly blessed more than I ever hoped,
I thank you, Wakan Tanka, for what you've given me.”
- Billy Mills, Oglala Lakota (1938-)
"In Lakota mythology, Iktomi is a spider-trickster spirit, and a culture hero for the Lakota people. Alternate names for Iktomi include Ikto, Ictinike, Inktomi, Unktome, and Unktomi. These names are due to the differences in tribal languages, as this spider deity was known throughout many of North America's tribes. Iktomi can be compared to the African trickster figure Anansi, and to some extent, the transculturated Yoruba Ellegua, also depicted as a trickster disguised in red. Due to his nature as a Trickster as well as patronage of communication, Iktomi is also comparable to the Greco-Roman Hermes/Mercurius (Mercury)."

"In Native American mythology, Wakan Tanka (great mystery) is the supreme being and creator of the Lakota Sioux. Sometimes called Great Spirit, he is similar to the supreme beings found in the myths of many other North American peoples. According to Lakota myth, before creation Wakan Tanka existed in a great emptiness called Han (darkness). Feeling lonely, he decided to create companions for himself. First, Great Spirit focused his energy into a powerful force to form Inyan (rock), the first god. Next, he used Inyan to create Maka (earth) and then mated with that god to produce Skan (sky). Skan brought forth Wi (the sun) from Inyan, Maka, and himself. These four gods were separate and powerful, but they were all part of Wakan Tanka.

The first four gods produced four companions - Moon, Wind, Falling Star, and Thunderbird - to help with the process of creation. In turn, these companions created various gods and spirits, including Whirlwind, Four Winds, Buffalo, Two-Legged Creatures (humans and bears), Sicun (thought), Nagi (spirit of death), Niya (breath of life), and Nagila (shadow). All of these beings were aspects of Wakan Tanka. Together, they created and oversee everything that exists."

"I Remember..."

"I remember my youth and the feeling that will never come back any more – the feeling that I could last for ever, outlast the sea, the earth, and all men; the deceitful feeling that lures us on to joys, to perils, to love, to vain effort – to death; the triumphant conviction of strength, the heat of life in the handful of dust, the glow in the heart that with every year grows dim, grows cold, grows small, and expires – and expires, too soon, too soon – before life itself."
- Joseph Conrad, 1857-1924, English writer, "Youth"

"Buying Time"

"Buying Time"
Author Unknown

"A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?" "Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man. "Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?" "That's none of your business! What makes you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily. "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy. "If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour." "Oh," the little boy replied, head bowed. Looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?" 

The father was furious. "If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. I work long, hard hours everyday and don't have time for such childish games." The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy's questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00, and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep son?" he asked. "No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy. "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the man. "It's been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here's that $10.00 you asked for." 

The little boy sat straight up, beaming. "Oh, thank you daddy!" he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man. "Why did you want more money if you already had some?" the father grumbled. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,"  the little boy replied. "Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?" 

"The Daily "Near You?"

Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada.Thanks for stopping by!

"25 Life Lessons from the Anglo-Saxons"

Full screen recommended.
RedFrost Motivation, 
  "25 Life Lessons from the Anglo-Saxons"
Narrated by Nicky Rebelo

"The Exeter Book": This is the largest (and perhaps oldest) known collection of Old English poetry/literature still in existence. Freely download "The Exeter Book" here:
“The Durham Proverbs”: “The proverbs are considered to have been used to document everyday business of the people of Anglo-Saxon England.”

"Where Your Gaze Lingers..."

“Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that has nothing to do with you, this storm is you. Something inside you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through it, step by step. There’s no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up the sky like pulverized bones.

You have to look! That’s another one of the rules. Closing your eyes isn’t going to change anything. Nothing’s going to disappear just because you can’t see what going on. In fact, things will be even worse the next time you open your eyes. That’s the kind of world we live in. Keep your eyes wide open. Only a coward closes his eyes. Closing your eyes and plugging up your ears won’t make time stand still.”
- Haruki Murakami

“Closing your eyes won’t make the awfulness go away. It may be that nothing will. But dwelling on it, dreading the evil, playing out the misery in your head – doesn’t this feed the monster? You can’t close your eyes to life, but you can choose where your gaze lingers.”
- Richelle E. Goodrich

"Then What?"

"Then What?"
by The ZMan

"One of the critical questions in any strategy is “Then what?” This question must be asked with every proposed move and counter move. The question is both a reminder and an assumption that the other players will react to your move. Good strategy focuses on the range of possibilities to each move and is prepared for them. Bad strategy just assumes the move will work and good things will flow from it. This is often referred to as the lack of second-order thinking.

For the last five years this has been at the center of American politics. The regime has clearly lost the ability to ask, much less answer the question, “Then what?” The war in Ukraine is in its fourth year because no one in the West could bother to ask the question, much less answer it. President Trump now has himself in a terrible jam because no one on his team thought to ask this question when they were plotting the Pearl Harbor style sneak attack on Iran.

It does not appear that any of them asked the question when planning the operation against the Iranian bunker facilities. By the looks of it, they settled on this attack because they assumed it would satisfy the Israelis, satisfy the crazies in Washington screaming for blood and provide an off-ramp in the conflict. Signaling to Iran that it was a one-time thing was supposed to induce them back to the bargaining table or at least encourage them to seek a cease fire in the war.

The assumed answer to the magic question was all the good things the administration needs to happen in order to wriggle free from this trap. Perhaps sensing that it was not the magic bullet, they immediately started to beg China to pressure Iran into not closing the Strait of Hormuz. Presumably they asked the Russians to do the same thing, as the Iranian foreign minister is in Moscow this week. Closing the strait would bring the whole thing crashing down on Trump’s head.

While the Iranians are prepared to close the strait, they have not done so, but they continue to send missiles at Israel and Israel is firing back. It is clear that the Iranians are not going to come back to the bargaining table, and they have no intention of ending the war with Israel. Of course, Israel is now demanding more strikes because it was never about Iranian nukes for them. It was always about inducing the United States into a ground war to topple the Iranian government.

President Trump is justifiably getting savaged by his voters, but in fairness to him he now lives in a town that operates like Jonestown. Everyone worships Israel or at least pretends they worship Israel. It is beyond creepy to see everyone in Washington act like Israel is the god of the world. Some sort of mass psychosis has swept the ruling class where they are convinced that their purpose in life is to serve the needs of this flyspeck of a country halfway around the world.

That just makes the crisis worse for the Trump administration. Even if they can have a moment of clarity and see the danger, they are limited in their options. If they do no more than provide support for Israel, they remain entangled in a war of attrition, while the crazies scream for blood, holding the domestic agenda hostage. They cannot make a deal with Iran, as the Israel lobby will never permit it. The only way out is to end the Israel lobby and that means tanks in the streets.

That is the thing about the question at the start. It not only forces the person answering it to think about the possible reactions from the other players, but it forces them to think clearly about the other players. If the Trump people had a realistic understanding of Israel and the Israel lobby, they would know they are dealing with hostile aliens who look at the United States as a Walmart during a ghetto riot. They would know how to treat them as adversaries, rather than allies or clients.

The same can be said for the approach to Ukraine. That has been pushed off to the side, but the neocons have not gone away. As things reach a critical point in the war this autumn, they will be back to extort the Trump admin. Given the duplicity of the Republican Party, the big, beautiful bill will probably still be held hostage in the Senate come the autumn, so it will be another round of extortion in order to give the neocons what they want in the war against Russia.

In a way, the crisis engulfing the Trump administration in the realm of foreign policy is a microcosm of what faces America. The MAGA movement finally got their man into the White House with the clear support of the public. There is a team in place that can execute the domestic agenda. Then what? The answer so far has been a revolt in the judiciary against the Trump agenda, the Republican Party holding his legislative agenda hostage, and the usual suspects subverting his foreign policy.

Cancer does not leave the body just because the body voted to live. The cancer must be removed and that is the answer to the question, “Then what?” That appears to be impossible within the current rules, which brings us back to the question that seems to haunt this age. The current crisis is a gordian knot that cannot be untied within the rules of the system, so then what? For now, the Trump people do not have the answer, but the answer is there, just waiting its turn."

"Closing The Strait Of Hormuz Will Be A Nightmare Scenario For The Global Economy"

"Closing The Strait Of Hormuz Will Be A 
Nightmare Scenario For The Global Economy"
by Michael Snyder

"Our way of life depends on cheap energy. If you remove cheap energy from the equation, our society will be thrown into a state of chaos. The Iranians know that closing the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most powerful forms of leverage that they possess, because the world is deeply dependent on the oil that travels through that waterway. We don’t know exactly how this crisis will play out, because the Strait of Hormuz has never been closed in modern times. But as I pointed out earlier this month, we were warned that Israel would attack Iran, the global price of oil would rise, and the increase in the price of oil would be blamed on Israel. And that is precisely what has happened. Israel has attacked Iran, the global price of oil has been increasing, and many are blaming Israel for what has transpired. Unfortunately, the truth is that this crisis is just getting started.

On Sunday, it was being reported that the Iranian Parliament “has approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz”…"The Iranian Parliament has approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil choke point, after the United States bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, according to Iranian state media on Sunday. While the Parliament has voted in favor of closing the strait, the final decision rests with the country’s Supreme National Security Council, according to state media. Of course the Iranian Parliament never would have held this vote if the Supreme National Security Council had not already decided what it was going to do At a time when the regime is under threat, there is no way that we are going to be shown any signs of disunity among Iranian leaders.

So what does this mean? It means that the price of oil is going to go higher. A lot higher. JPMorgan is projecting that we could see the price of oil hit $130 a barrel in a “worst-case scenario”…"Investors predict a “knee-jerk” reaction, with oil prices expected to spike due to fears of disrupted Middle East supplies. Brent crude, already up 20% over the past month to $79.04, could climb toward $130 per barrel in a worst-case scenario, according to JPMorgan."

I agree that we could see the price of oil soon hit $130 a barrel. But if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed for an extended period of time, it will go a lot higher than that. In a previous article, I warned that if the price of oil rises above $100 a barrel and stays there, it will immediately push the global economy into a recession. And I also warned that if the price of oil rises above $200 a barrel and stays there, it will immediately push the global economy into a depression. Yes, we really are facing a worldwide economic depression if this crisis is not resolved.

Because of how narrow it is, the Iranians can shut down the Strait of Hormuz quite easily…"The strait connecting the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf is one of the world’s most critical chokepoints - just 20 miles wide at its narrowest point. Shipping lanes in the strait - the area that is deep enough for ships to pass - are even narrower at less than two miles wide in each direction, making them much more vulnerable to attacks and threats of closure." The Iranians have been planning for such a scenario for many years, and they definitely have the resources to pull it off.

The reason why the Strait of Hormuz is so important is because approximately 20 percent of all global oil production travels through it…"About 20% of global oil and gas flow through the strait, which lies between Oman and Iran, and its closure could mean rising fuel prices for American consumers."

How will the world economy function when most oil exports from the Middle East are suddenly cut off? That is a very good question. It is being projected that economies in Asia will be hit the hardest…"The bulk of all oil exported by the regional petro giants, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, all travel through this narrow waterway. Asia is likely to bear the brunt most from any closures to the waterway, with China, India, Japan and South Korea all getting most of their oil imports through the strait."

Thankfully, the U.S. has become a lot less dependent on foreign oil in recent years. At this point we purchase “less than 3 percent of the oil coming out of the Persian Gulf”…"By contrast, the United States buys less than 3 percent of the oil coming out of the Persian Gulf, notably from northern Saudi Arabia. The United States became an overall net exporter of oil in 2020 as fracking technologies enabled a big increase in domestic oil production." But ultimately everyone will be affected because oil is a global commodity.

It will be fascinating to see how this crisis plays out. Even before the Iranian Parliament voted, one oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz suddenly reversed course once news broke that the U.S. had bombed Iran…


I don’t know if I even have the words to describe how serious this crisis could become. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is urging China to convince Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open…"U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called for China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important trade routes for crude oil in the world. “I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” Rubio said in an interview on Fox News. China is Iran’s most important oil customer and maintains friendly relations with the Islamic Republic."

And he is also warning that the U.S. military could get involved if the Iranians really do shut it down…"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a “suicide mission,” adding it would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the US and others. He said: “If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours.”

Of course it would not be easy for the U.S. or any other major power to conduct an operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Any ships that enter the Strait of Hormuz would be sitting ducks for the Iranian missile launchers that have been dug deep into the cliffs that overlook the waterway.

Let me add another layer to all of this. A tremendous amount of fertilizer also travels through the Strait of Hormuz, and that has very serious implications. The following comes from a Zero Hedge article entitled “Global Fertilizer Market Thrown In Chaos After Mideast War Shutters Iran Urea Production”…“Iran was the third-largest urea exporter in 2024, according to StoneX, with export volumes of around 4.5 million tons – about the size of China’s. The country has a production capacity of around 8.9 million tons a year, Milam added, serving markets in Turkey, Brazil and Argentina, among others. It is also an exporter of ammonia.”

“In addition to knocking Iranian urea production offline, the attacks also brought Egypt’s operations to a standstill,” Ward reported. “Israel reduced its natural gas flows to the country on Friday, prompting Egypt to cease production.”

AgWeb’s Margy Eckelkamp reported that “Linville’s colleague at StoneX, Arlan Suderman, details why this conflict is being watched so carefully if the concern isn’t in those two countries’ production. ‘There’s a lot of other producers of fertilizer in the Middle East and a lot of it also passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which will be at risk going forward now,’ Suderman says. From a global supply standpoint, Suderman also points out the Ukrainian attack of one of Russia’s largest nitrogen fertilizer plants two weeks ago.”

Global fertilizer production was already being squeezed in a number of different ways even before Iran was attacked. If fertilizer exports are not allowed to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, that could trigger famines in many areas of the planet. Needless to say, famine is another one of the major themes that we have been anticipating.

We really are living in unprecedented times. Now that missiles are flying and bombs are being dropped, there will be no going back to the way that things were."