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So, we rise from the rubble...
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Saturday, December 27, 2025
"Dead Romans Agree: Don’t Let The Small Stuff Bother You"
"Dead Romans Agree:
Don’t Let The Small Stuff Bother You"
by John Wilder
"I woke up this morning just irritated. No particular reason. In all fairness, it was entirely an internal feeling, and I imagine most people never noticed. I was nice and polite to nearly everyone I interacted with. And why not? None of them were my ex-wife. I wasn’t irritated with them, I was just irritated. There were no issues. I wasn’t in pain. No one around me was in particular trouble. Thankfully I’m not an electrician – people might dislike me not being positive at work.
As I thought about it, what was irritating me? I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. There was no rational reason at all. During a conversation lat night, though, I had a reason to quote Marcus Aurelius: “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
Sure, Marcus Aurelius’ kid was an utter tool, but when you become Caesar at 18, well, it might tend to go to your head – think of Commodus as Miley Cyrus, 180 A.D. Back to Marcus, though. Marcus genuinely did his best for the Roman Empire. As near as I can tell, Marcus was a pretty good leader. And that little quote above wasn’t written for you and me. It was written for Marcus, by Marcus. He was reminding himself that the external things in the world had only the power he gave them. He was giving himself a pep talk.
Marcus Aurelius was right. In the conversation I was having lat night, the person was very upset (most of you don’t know the person, though specific readers in California and Indiana do – hi guys!). The reason she was upset? Nothing rational at all. So I quoted a dead Roman emperor. Did it help? I don’t know. I’m beginning to see a pattern where crying people don’t stop crying when I quote dead Roman emperors. I’m beginning to see why the kids call The Mrs. when they want actual human sympathy.
My irritation (I think) came from the same place. Nowhere. I felt fine (except for my right knee which is much better now) and the day generally went fairly well. I realized that the advice I gave was meant just as much for me as for the person I was talking to. I was just being irritated because I let myself be irritated.
Once I was done and realized I didn’t have to be irritated? My irritation disappeared. I know that the way I feel is (generally) my choice. I can choose how I feel: salty, Wednesday, or even drunk. The only reason that I’m not happy every morning is if I choose not to be happy on some particular morning.
Are there actual reasons why I might have different feelings? Sure. If I had mental problems (other than an unseemly affection for awful jokes and a desire to consciously be able to make my fingernails grow absurdly fast) that might be a reason to have a feeling other than what I choose.
Don’t know. I do know that there are people with actual mental problems. There’s proof: some people actually voted for Biden. But, going back to Marcus, that’s not external. Being sick or goofy enough to vote for Biden isn’t external.
Physical pain also is an internal source that can destroy moods. I once (for a few months) had sciatica. I was irritable enough every morning to chew nails and spit bullets. Then I discovered that I could work out for a few hours on an elliptical trainer to make the pain go away. A week later? I was fine. My irritation vanished along with my sciatica, never (hopefully) to return. That was nearly 15 years ago. Sure, I’ve felt pain since then, but most of it was the good pain from a hard workout. Heck, most days the worst thing that happened was the crisp morning breeze running through my back hair.
My mood depends on me. My attitude depends on me. Does that mean that I can’t see the actual situation we’re in? Of course not. I see a nation tearing itself apart. It’s worse: it’s not just a nation, Western Civilization seems to be happily thrashing about as it marches down a path to extinction.
Is that good? Of course not. Does it mean that I should walk around every day being sad? Of course not. I am doing, I assure you, everything I can think of to stave off that darkness. I mean, those memes won’t make themselves. And I am doing it cheerfully. I laugh every day. I smile because I know that most of the things that I worry about can have no power over me unless I give them that power.
Make your choices, and understand that while you might wake up irritated – it’s your choice if you wish to stay in that mood for a minute or an hour. Me? I like being happy, so I choose that, even in moments where it might not be appropriate. I might even need to stop high-fiving people at funerals.
So, I got started late typing this after a day I chose to just be irritated. And, I’m going to choose to end now. With a smile on my face. Go and have a great day. Most of the time, having a great day is just a choice. Choose wisely."
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"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable,
or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. "
- Carlos Castaneda
"The Free and the Brave"
"The Free and the Brave"
by Todd Hayen
"Whatever happened to that (the free and the brave)? Whatever happened to the attitude that had Patrick Henry at the Virginia convention in 1775 say “give me liberty, or give me death”? Whatever happened to the patriotic fervor and the uncanny commitment to face suffering and death that resulted in over two million young men volunteering for service in World War I, and five times that number volunteering to serve in World War II?
Whatever happened to the ability to conquer fear and ride on the excitement for adventure and potential for immeasurable success that drove hundreds of thousands of men and women into the wild, and dangerous, frontiers of the American West Whatever happened to the spirit that filled the souls of those that faced stark adversity, danger to life and limb, that lead over 50,000 hapless men and women (mostly men) into the jungles of Central America to build the Panama Canal? - ultimately killing over 5,000 of them as a result of accidents, all manner of diseases including malaria and dysentery? What happened?
Yeah, this is about us, guys (me included!) Sure, women can be brave - any biological sexual orientation can activate the warrior archetype - but more commonly it is the gendered male that falls into this archetypal constellation. Bravery - a compulsion to protect those he loves, have a critical and logical assessment of a difficult situation, and the force and power, at the very least a potential force and power, ready to inflict whatever necessary to protect partner and family, community and nation. We, us men, have seemed to have lost much of that. Have we become a bunch of puss-balls?
Dr Mark McDonald, a prominent medical doctor with a speciality in psychiatry, doesn’t mince words when he says while describing the psychological state of men and women during this crises: "We essentially have men with no balls, and then we have histrionics, women who have no emotional containment, because there are no men to contain them anymore.”
Sexist? Maybe some will think so, but McDonald is not putting all the blame on one sex, or exclusively on the masculine or feminine archetypes, the responsibility here is rather well balanced. What does this mean? Very basically it means we have created a culture that has done a pretty good job of emasculating men - the radical feminist movement, as well as a general lack of situations where men can express their “man-ness” in a healthy way, has been a big part of the problem.
“Toxic Masculinity” is a phrase and concept that has taken the world by storm, and contributes quite a bit to the confusion that men are experiencing while trying to ascertain what a “real man” is in today’s “anti male” culture. “Oh boo hoo” some of you may be saying. “Men, through their powerful patriarchal history of abusing women and treating them as inferior partners in relationships deserve a little pull back!” There certainly is truth to that, but two wrongs don’t make a right. You can’t carve out an essential part of being a “man” without some collateral damage, all the way around.
So what does being a “real man” have to do with bravery? A lot, actually. Facing adversity and danger, primarily in order to protect the physically weaker, is a very important attribute of the masculine archetype of warrior, or even king if you want to get more detailed about it. Historically and traditionally the man has been the protector, the physical, and sometimes intellectual (intelligence that is present in logic reasoning and critical thinking) found in masculine archetypes (again, archetypes both men and women have access to).
These attributes are primarily directed toward protection and outwardly projected as strength and resolve. This often stabilizes the more emotional feminine archetypal factors that again, typically, are activated by the female, or woman, in a relationship.
As a psychotherapist, and an archetypal psychologist at that, I see these archetypal powers and influences playing out in my clients every day. Most of the problems I find in a couple’s therapy stems from an imbalance, or a dysfunction, in these energies of masculine and feminine. Again, the “man” in a couple can be activating both masculine and feminine archetypes, as well as the “woman.” The problem comes in if the archetypes activated are inappropriate, out of balance, and create a result that is unexpected, undesired, or not beneficial. Most of these influences run in the unconscious, so very seldom are they consciously manipulated.
It wasn’t until I met Dr McDonald that I connected some very important dots. McDonald wrote and released a book titled "United States of Fear." The subtitle of the book, “How America Fell Victim to a Mass Delusional Psychosis” is the primary focus. McDonald holds nothing back when he addresses what he believes to be a fundamental cause of this mass psychosis. He believes that women (feminine archetypes driving the woman’s behavior) need a strong, and masculine man, to contain her emotionality (due to the unfettered expression of her feminine archetypes.) McDonald, in an interview given on Jerm Warfare, said:
"Do you think men with masks on make women feel safe? It only shows they have no balls. I’ve spoken with female police officers who see men in camouflage, tattooed, driving around in trucks with gun racks - wearing masks. They tell me, ‘this does not make me feel safe. This makes me afraid. If they are this scared of a virus, how will they react to a real threat - what’s going to happen when the bear comes out of the woods? What’s going to happen when a rapist tries to attack me? What’s going to happen when my children are going to be kidnapped by the man in the park, what are they going to do? With their mask on are they going to say, “Please stop. Please. Please.” They’re not going to put their lives on the line. They won’t even put their mouth on the line.’”
Harsh words, my brothers. Harsh words, but I think quite on the money. Is this the only thing that is driving the collapse we are seeing in those that cannot stand up to this current tyranny, and say “Enough is enough, step back!” No, of course not, but, in my opinion, it is a large part of the problem.
Our culture, at least in the West, has been set up for this to happen. We have become more and more dependent on government taking care of us, thus losing our own personal drive to develop character and strength. We depend on government and authority to think for us, and tell us what is best for us to, in a word, parent us. We comply, we stay children, and we ultimately suffer.
The brave hold onto what makes them free and are willing to fight for it. Freedom is a God given right, not one bestowed upon us by any other authority. The healthy masculine archetypes of warrior and king have at their side the symbolic sword representing their power over adversity and danger.
There is a time for the warrior to pull the sword from its scabbard just a few inches to allow the sun to glint off of its polished surface, flashing in the eyes of a potential enemy, letting them know who they are dealing with. And then there is the time to pull the sword completely free from its confines and slash what is seriously threatening the warrior and those he loves. Now is the time to fight."
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“You cannot kill me here. Bring your soldiers, your death, your disease, your collapsed economy because it doesn’t matter, I have nothing left to lose and you cannot kill me here. Bring the tears of orphans and the wails of a mother’s loss, bring your God damn air force and Jesus on a cross, bring your hate and bitterness and long working hours, bring your empty wallets and love long since gone but you cannot kill me here. Bring your sneers, your snide remarks and friendships never felt, your letters never sent, your kisses never kissed, cigarettes smoked to the bone and cancer killing fears but you cannot kill me here. For I may fall and I may fail but I will stand again each time and you will find no satisfaction. Because you cannot kill me here.”
- Iain S. Thomas
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Full screen recommended.
Stephanie Winn (Some Kind of Therapist), 12/27/23
"Mass Delusional Psychosis:
Dr. Mark McDonald on How Fear is Destroying America"
"Psychiatrist Mark McDonald coined the term "mass delusional psychosis" to describe the fear-driven response that swept the nation during the pandemic. In this episode, I interviewed him about the events of 2020 and their impact on our society. We discuss how fear became a fuel, driving irrational and self-destructive behaviors that were not in our best interests.
Dr. McDonald highlights the shift in our society towards a culture that values safety over courage, risk-taking, and personal freedom. He points out the detrimental effects of this safety culture, such as the decline in IQ points among infants born during the lockdowns and the decrease in face-to-face interactions among young people. He also raises concerns about the erosion of masculinity and the impact it has on relationships and society as a whole.
The conversation delves into the importance of teaching virtue and morality, as well as the need to reaffirm the qualities of healthy masculinity. Dr. McDonald emphasizes the role of individuals in shaping the future and the need to save the younger generation from the damaging ideologies and behaviors that have taken hold. He warns that if we don't address these issues, we risk the extinction of our civilization.
The episode touches on the impact of the lockdowns on brain chemistry, particularly in terms of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. Dr. McDonald discusses the observed changes in behavior, such as acute onset OCD-like symptoms and the reliance on non-face-to-face interactions for dating. He expresses concern about the increasing demand for drugs to alleviate depression, anxiety, and fear, and the long-lasting consequences of these changes in brain chemistry.
Dr. Mark McDonald graduated from UC Berkeley and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Trained in adult as well as child and adolescent psychiatry at UCLA, he now works primarily with children in his west Los Angeles private practice. He is co-host of the podcast Informed Dissent and the author of United States of Fear and Freedom From Fear. His opinions have been widely published in local and national news, and he has been interviewed on a variety of platforms. Links to his writings on Facebook, X, and Substack can be found at www.dissidentmd.com.
Comments here:
"Rent Is Now Unaffordable in 98% of America, Here’s the Proof"
Full screen recommended.
Snyder Reports, 12/27/25
"Rent Is Now Unaffordable in 98%
of America, Here’s the Proof"
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
RV Crisis, 12/27/25
"800,000 Fired and Nowhere To Live This Winter -
10 U.S. States Are Collapsing"
Comments here:
"How It Really Is"
With U.S. debt now at $38,523 trillion, the cost of the interest bill
alone on all that borrowing is about $3 billion a day. A quick calculation:
the USA is paying out over a trillion in interest this year.
"9 Signs That Leaders All Over The Globe Have Come Down With A Really Bad Case Of 'War Fever'"
"9 Signs That Leaders All Over The Globe Have
Come Down With A Really Bad Case Of 'War Fever'"
by Michael Snyder
"How close can we get to the edge without falling over? The largest military conflict in Europe since World War II is poised to go to the next level in 2026, war could erupt again in the Middle East at any moment, the U.S. is on the verge of starting a new war in Venezuela, and China is absolutely furious about a brand new weapons package that has just been approved for Taiwan. The dogs of war are clawing at the gate, and yet most people don’t seem too concerned. This is particularly true in the western world, and that is extremely unfortunate. We really are dangerously close to a nightmare scenario, and the clock is ticking. The following are 9 signs that leaders all over the globe have come down with a really bad case of “war fever”…
#1 The Europeans are feverishly preparing for war with Russia, and this is something that I covered extensively in a previous article. After months of hearing them talk about the potential for a direct conflict with Russia, it sounds like Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost his patience with them. In fact, Putin just referred to European leaders as “pigs” and “piglets”… Russian President Vladimir Putin has derisively referred to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as a “little pig” and openly discussed the positioning of Russian missiles within striking range of the UK.
During an annual meeting of the Russian defense ministry, Putin pointed fingers at former US President Joe Biden for intentionally instigating the conflict in Ukraine, further stating that “European little pigs” were quick to support the Americans. “Everyone assumed that they would destroy Russia in a short period of time, they would ruin it,” Putin declared.
“And the European piglets immediately joined in to aid the former American administration in this task. They were hoping to profit from the collapse of our country. To get back something that was lost in previous historical periods and try to take revenge. As it has now become obvious to everyone. All these attempts and all these destructive plans towards Russia completely failed.”
#2 At that same meeting, Putin boldly declared that all of the Russian goals in Ukraine will either be achieved diplomatically or they will be achieved by force…"Russian President Vladimir Putin declared during a Defense Ministry board meeting on Wednesday that Russia will accomplish its goals, either through diplomacy or military force. “The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved. We would prefer to accomplish this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means. However, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means. The task of creating and expanding a security buffer zone will also be carried out consistently,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript."
#3 The Ukrainians will never willingly hand over the territories that the Russians want, and so it appears that fighting will continue for the foreseeable future. And the longer the fighting goes on, the more likely it becomes that the Ukrainians will be successful in dragging NATO into the war. In a very lengthy post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that next year will be “a year of war”…"Today, we again heard signals from Moscow that they are preparing to make next year a year of war. These signals are not only for us. It is crucial that our partners see them, and not only see them but also respond – especially partners in the United States, who often say that Russia wants to end the war.
Yet the signals coming from Russia are the exact opposite, taking the form of official orders to their army. This Russian mindset must be recognized – and acted upon. When Russia is in this mindset, it will also undermine diplomacy – seeking, through diplomatic language and pressure over specific points in documents – to merely mask its desire to destroy Ukraine and Ukrainians, and the desire to legitimize Russia’s theft of our land. And then come other countries in Europe, which someone in Russia might one day label their so‑called “historical lands.”
#4 Russian forces continue to steadily move forward in Ukraine. This week, it is being reported that Russian forces are on the verge of capturing Hulyaipole…"Assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces are already actively operating in the center of Hulyaipole, according to the German tabloid Bild. The publication notes that the attack on the city is currently underway from all sides. Russian sources, while confirming this information, emphasize the difficulties faced by Kyiv regime militants defending Huliaipole. The city doesn’t have many high-rise neighborhoods. Moreover, most of them are either destroyed or under the control of Russian forces."
#5 It is being alleged that three members of Russia’s FSB snuck under the border fence and briefly crossed over into Estonian territory…"NATO Member Estonia has accused the Russian Federation of briefly infiltrating a small group of security agents under its border force into its territory, the latest in a series of incidents that have riled the Western alliance.
The Estonian government cited security camera footage showing a group of three Russian border guards, an agency under the Russian Federation’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the inheritor agency of the KGB and others, illegally crossing into its territory on Wednesday. According to their telling of events, three Russians crossed the Narva River on the Estonia-Russia border while riding on a hovercraft and disembarked onto a spit of land in the river on the Estonian side of the line of control.
The three agents of the Russian Federation’s border guard are said to have walked around before embarking back on their hovercraft and going home. Estonia has upped police and border patrols since the incident and say they have called diplomatic discussions with Moscow to make their protests known."
#6 Israel and Hezbollah are supposed to have a ceasefire, but fighting continues to break out. Just within the past 24 hours, Israeli leaders authorized “a series of airstrikes across southern and northeastern Lebanon”…"Israel reportedly carried out a series of airstrikes across southern and northeastern Lebanon just ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline for Hezbollah to disarm. The strikes hit Hezbollah infrastructure sites and launching sites in a military compound that the terror organization uses to train and hold courses for its members, according to The Associated Press, which cited the Israeli military. Israel also said it struck Hezbollah military structures that stored weapons."
#7 The U.S. House of Representatives could have passed a bill that would have prevented a war with Venezuela from starting without congressional approval. Unfortunately, members of the House voted it down…"The House on Wednesday voted down a War Powers Resolution meant to block President Trump from launching a war with Venezuela without congressional authorization, as required by the Constitution.
The bill failed in a vote of 211-213, with nine representatives not voting. Just three Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the bill: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), and Don Bacon (NE). One Democrat, Henry Cuellar (TX), voted against the legislation. The legislation would have directed the president to remove “United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.”
#8 Our leaders just keep on doing things that they know will greatly anger the Chinese. For example, we have just learned that the largest package of arms sales for Taiwan in history has been approved…"Just a day ago the US administration communicated to China that it is ready to defend American interests in the Pacific region. Now, it’s being reported that the US has approved $11.1 billion in arms-sales for Taiwan, the single largest ever such announced transfer and clear show of support from Washington. Unveiled late Wednesday, the major arms sales are intended to support Taipei’s efforts to “modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” according to the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency."
#9 The Chinese are absolutely furious about this aid package. They are strongly condemning what we have done, and they are demanding that we immediately stop “arming Taiwan”…"Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said Washington’s decision undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests and sends a wrong signal to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces. Calling the authorization of the massive arms sale a “blatant interference in China’s internal affairs,” Chen said it seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, particularly the Aug 17 Communique of 1982. “We firmly oppose and strongly condemn this,” Chen said, demanding that the US immediately stop “arming Taiwan” and cease supporting “Taiwan independence” separatist forces."
The Chinese are also very upset about our blockade of Venezuela, because they purchase more oil from the Venezuelans than everyone else combined. U.S. officials seem to think that they can keep pushing the Chinese around without experiencing any serious consequences. Needless to say, I am convinced that they are completely wrong about that. In my opinion, it is easy to imagine a scenario in which we are witnessing war in Asia, war in South America, war in the Middle East and war in Europe simultaneously. If such a scenario actually unfolds, it truly would be a worldwide war. If global leaders want to choose the path of peace, now is the time to do so. Unfortunately, “war fever” has gripped most global leaders at this stage, and that is not good news for anyone."
Dan, I Allegedly, "Retail Is Punishing Shoppers - Christmas Bills are Here"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 12/27/25
"Retail Is Punishing Shoppers -
Christmas Bills are Here"
"Retail struggles are real - return fees at big stores like Best Buy, Macy’s, and JC Penney are pushing shoppers away, while massive layoffs are looming in 2026. If you’re dealing with student loan debt, now’s the time to act - the Department of Education is gearing up for wage garnishments, and the impact could be devastating. Stay tuned. This is breaking news, and things are moving fast."
Comments here:
"$2.5 Quadrillion Disaster Waiting to Happen"
"$2.5 Quadrillion Disaster Waiting to Happen
– Egon von Greyerz"
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
"There is sufficiency in the world
for Man's need but not for his greed."
- Mahatma Gandhi
From November 1, 2022, and more terrifyingly worse now... "Egon von Greyerz (EvG) stores gold for clients at the biggest private gold vault in the world buried deep in the Swiss Alps. EvG is a financial and precious metals expert. EvG is a former Swiss banker and an expert in risk. He says the risk in the global markets has never been this high.
EvG explains, “Credit has increased dramatically through derivatives. All instruments being issued now by banks, pension funds, stock funds, it’s all synthetic. There is no real underlying payments in anything almost. Therefore, my estimate for derivatives would be at least $2 quadrillion, and I think that is probably conservative. Then, we have debt on top of that of $300 trillion, and we also have a couple hundred trillion dollars of unfunded liabilities. So, we are talking about $2.5 QUADRILLION, and that’s with a global GDP of $88 trillion. So, there is a disaster waiting to happen, and especially because all this created money has created no value whatsoever. I always knew this would collapse, and it’s taken longer than I expected, but I think we are at the end of a major era.
These derivatives, at some point soon, will actually turn into debt. Central banks will have to cover all the outstanding liabilities of the commercial banks as we are seeing now with Credit Suisse, Bank of England and etc. This is going to happen across the board. Whether it’s called derivatives or called debt, as far as I am concerned, it’s the same thing. It will have the same effect on the world financial system, which will be disastrous, of course.”
EvG says the derivative markets were simply a way for financial institutions to carry debt and not show it on their balance sheets. In the end, everything will balance out. EvG goes on to say, “Nobody can repay the debt, and they can’t even pay interest. So, therefore, when the debt implodes, so will the assets that were financed by this debt. So, both sides of the balance sheet have to come down. Whether it comes down by 50%, 75% or 90%, I don’t know. All I think about is risk, and the financial system will not survive in its present form. Central banks only use one kind of medicine, and that is more printed money. Now, you are getting negative returns on printed money. So, that is not going to save anything.
Sadly we are looking at a situation when this system will start to implode. The rich are still rich, but the poor are really poor. Overall in the UK, Germany and most European countries, people don’t have enough money to live. This is a human disaster already. With food costs going up 25% and energy going up the same and gasoline, interest rates and rents, people don’t have enough money, and that is happening now. It’s a human disaster of mega proportions. It’s so sad, and governments will have no chance of doing anything about it. The risk is increasing exponentially, and it is going to get worse.” There is much more in the 43-minute interview.
Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he goes One-on-One with Egon von Greyerz of Matterhorn Asset Management, which can be found on GoldSwitzerland.com.
o
"As Silver Surges Toward The Magical $100 Mark, Global Debt Levels Are Exploding And The U.S. Dollar Is Dying"
"As Silver Surges Toward The Magical $100 Mark,
Global Debt Levels Are Exploding And The U.S. Dollar Is Dying"
by Michael Snyder
"This year silver has been on the greatest bull run that we have ever seen. It is up an astounding 166 percent since January 1st, and so those that purchased it long ago and stuck with it are really loving life right now. When the price of silver reached the 50 dollar mark earlier this year, I thought that it would be some time before it hit the 60 dollar mark. But of course the truth is that it didn’t take long at all. Once the price of silver reached 60 dollars, I thought that it might hit 70 dollars some time in early 2026. If you check the latest numbers, you will see that we have easily blown past that threshold, and the price of silver has already surpassed 80 dollars in Shanghai. I know that I have been using the word “crazy” a lot lately, but without a doubt what we are witnessing at this moment is truly “crazy”.
So why is this happening? In a previous article, I discussed factors such as the AI boom, strong industrial demand, new technologies and a spike in demand for physical silver in Asia. But let’s step back for a moment and take a look at the bigger picture. To me, it is not a coincidence that the price of silver is exploding at the exact same time that we are reaching the terminal phase of the largest global debt super cycle in history…
"Global debt has climbed to an all-time high of $337.7 trillion by the end of the second quarter of 2025, according to the latest Global Debt Monitor from the Institute of International Finance (IIF). The first half of 2025 alone saw an increase of over $21 trillion, largely driven by accommodative financial conditions, a softer US dollar, and continued government borrowing."
This jump is comparable to the COVID-era debt explosion in 2020, when governments and corporations worldwide dramatically ramped up spending to tackle the pandemic. This is the first time in world history that all of the major powers are facing a nightmarish debt crisis simultaneously. As this 337.7 trillion dollar debt bubble bursts, it is going to be so important to have your money somewhere safe. So it makes all the sense in the world that there is so much demand for silver right now.
Long-term bond yields have been surging all over the globe, and this is even happening in nations that were once considered to be “safe havens” such as Japan and Germany…"Long-term yields are rising sharply across many countries, including in Germany and Japan, which in the past used to be safe havens. That puts huge pressure on fiscally distressed countries like Italy and France and incentivizes short-termism. If the EU wants to become a geopolitical player, it can’t allow high-debt countries to dictate foreign policy. This has to stop."
Meanwhile, fiat currencies are rapidly losing value, and that has particularly been true for the U.S. dollar…"The U.S. dollar was on the back foot on Wednesday and set for its biggest yearly fall since 2017, possibly with more to come, as investors wagered the Federal Reserve would have room to cut rates further next year even as most of its peers look finished with easing. Tuesday’s solid U.S. GDP reading failed to move the dial on the rate outlook, leaving investors pricing in roughly two more Fed cuts in 2026."
This has been a horrible year for the U.S. dollar. That is one of the reasons why the purchasing power of your money doesn’t stretch as far as it once did. For the year, the U.S. dollar index is down about 10 percent…"Against a basket of currencies, the dollar index fell to a 2-1/2-month low of 97.767. It was on track to lose 9.8% for the year, which would mark its steepest annual drop since 2017. Any further weakness in the last week of the year would take its fall to its greatest since 2003."
Please keep in mind that the other currencies that the U.S. dollar is being measured against are rapidly losing value as well. It is just that the U.S. dollar is losing value even faster. One of the reasons why the U.S. dollar is losing value so rapidly is because global central banks are becoming less dependent on it…"The share of USD-denominated assets held by other central banks dropped to 56.9% of total foreign exchange reserves in Q3, the lowest since 1994, from 57.1% in Q2 and 58.5% in Q1, according to the IMF’s new data on Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves. USD-denominated foreign exchange reserves include US Treasury securities, US mortgage-backed securities (MBS), US agency securities, US corporate bonds, and other USD-denominated assets held by central banks other than the Fed."
This is not good news at all. Because as Wolf Richter has aptly pointed out, having the reserve currency of the world has been a massive advantage for us…"Foreign central banks buying USD-denominated assets, such as Treasury securities, helps push up prices and push down yields of those assets. Being the dominant reserve currency had the effect of helping the US borrow more cheaply to fund its huge twin deficits – the trade deficit and the budget deficit – and thereby has enabled the US to run those huge twin deficits for decades. At some point, this continued decline as a reserve currency, as it reduces demand for USD debt, would make the trade deficit and the budget deficit more difficult to sustain."
People have been talking about the death of the U.S. dollar for a long time. The U.S. dollar is certainly not dead yet, but the fact that it is in the process of dying should deeply alarm us. The entire global financial system is shifting, and right now there is a global race to accumulate precious metals. This is particularly true for silver…"Silver has been designated critical by the United States. Russia has increased accumulation. India has discouraged selling while encouraging the use of silver as collateral. The Middle East is preparing silver-linked tokenized instruments. Demand is rising across jurisdictions."
At the same time, there have been some things going on behind the scenes that have caused the price of silver to go parabolic over the last couple of months…Here’s the next dot: over the last two months, there has been a massive inflow of silver from Latin America into the United States. Not into China. Into the U.S. Who is one clearinghouse? JPMorgan. On Black Friday, JPMorgan effectively pulled silver off the market. That removal of available supply triggered a forced response elsewhere. Someone in China who was structurally short silver had to cover, and cover aggressively. That wasn’t a trade. That was a scramble.
I don’t see how the price of silver can keep going up at this rate. At some point it will stabilize. But of course silver is not the only precious metal that is in great demand right now. On Friday, the price of platinum and the price of palladium both went absolutely haywire…"Elsewhere, spot platinum rose 8.7% to $2,411.46 per ounce, having earlier hit a record high of $2,448.25, while palladium climbed nearly 10% to $1,850.76."
For those that have invested in precious metals, what we are witnessing at this moment is such good news. Conversely, unprecedented volatility in the prices of precious metals is a major red flag for the global financial system. Bond yields are going nuts, cryptocurrencies have already crashed, and global stock markets are flashing huge warning signs. Many are anticipating a great deal of financial chaos in 2026, and at this stage it is hard to argue that they are wrong."
Friday, December 26, 2025
"Alert! It's Happening! System Crashing, Major Black Swan Is Imminent"
Prepper News, 12/26/25
"Alert! It's Happening! System Crashing,
Major Black Swan Is Imminent"
Comments here:
"Top 10 Big American Grocery Chains That Filed For Bankruptcy"
Full screen recommended.
Behind The States, 12/26/25
"Top 10 Big American Grocery Chains That Filed For Bankruptcy"
"America’s grocery sector is facing far more serious challenges than most people realize, and several major supermarket chains have already hit their limit. In this video, we uncover the Top 10 Big Grocery Chains That Filed for Bankruptcy. From national discount retailers to trusted regional staples, these companies were overwhelmed by rising operating costs, razor-thin margins, supply chain breakdowns, and relentless competition. Many once-thriving stores now sit abandoned, creating expanding “food deserts” that leave families and older Americans with fewer options for basic necessities. We examine the critical mistakes these chains made, the warning signs they overlooked, and how their collapse is transforming the way Americans buy food. If you want a clear picture of where the grocery industry is headed - and which chains could be at risk next - this is a video you won’t want to miss."
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"Everyone Is Waiting For A Housing Crash As US Enters 2026 In A Massive Bubble"
Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 12/26/25
"Everyone Is Waiting For A Housing Crash
As US Enters 2026 In A Massive Bubble"
"The U.S. housing market is entering 2026 in one of the largest bubbles in modern history. Home prices have reached 5x median household income. Nearly 75% of American households cannot afford a median-priced new home. Homeowners are trapped by their low pandemic era mortgage rates, refusing to sell. Investors now account for one-third of all home purchases. And the Federal Reserve's policies continue to keep mortgage rates elevated above 6%."
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"Gold And Silver Rocking; World Going Down, Greatest Depression Ahead"
Strong language alert!
Gerald Celente, 12/26/25
"Gold And Silver Rocking;
World Going Down, Greatest Depression Ahead"
"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What’s Next in these increasingly turbulent times."
Comments here:
"A Look to the Heavens"
“These bright rims and flowing shapes suggest to some melting ice cream on a cosmic scale. Looking toward the constellation Cassiopeia, the colorful (zoomable) skyscape features the swept back, comet-shaped clouds IC 59 (left) and IC 63. About 600 light-years distant, the clouds aren't actually melting, but they are slowly dissipating under the influence of ionizing ultraviolet radiation from hot,luminous star gamma Cas.
Click image for larger size.
Gamma Cas is physically located only 3 to 4 light-years from the nebulae, just off the upper right edge of the frame. In fact, slightly closer to gamma Cas, IC 63 is dominated by red H-alpha light emitted as the ionized hydrogen atoms recombine with electrons. Farther from the star, IC 59 shows proportionally less H-alpha emission but more of the characteristic blue tint of dust reflected star light. The field of view spans about 1 degree or 10 light-years at the estimated distance of gamma Cas and friends.”
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111103.html
Paulo Coelho, "Walking the Path"
"Walking the Path"
by Paulo Coelho
"I reckon that it takes about three minutes to read my text. Well, according to statistics, in that same short period of time 300 people will die and another 620 will be born. It takes me perhaps half an hour to write a text: here I sit, concentrating on my computer, books piled up beside me, ideas in my head, the scenery passing by outside my window. Everything seems perfectly normal all around me; and yet, during these thirty minutes, 3,000 people have died and 6,200 have just seen the light of the world for the first time.
Where are all those thousands of families who have just begun to weep over the loss of some dear one, or else laugh at the arrival of a son, grandson or brother? I stop and reflect for a while: perhaps many of these deaths are reaching the end of a long, painful sickness, and some persons are relieved that the Angel has come for them. Besides these, in all certainty hundreds of children who have just been born will be abandoned in a minute and transferred to the death statistics before I finish this text.
What a thought! A simple statistic that I came upon by chance – and all of a sudden I can feel all those losses and encounters, smiles and tears. How many are leaving this life, alone in their rooms, without anyone realizing what is going on? How many will be born in secret, only to be abandoned at the door of shelters or convents? And then I reflect that I was part of the birth statistics and one day I will be included in the toll of the dead. How good that is to be fully aware that I am going to die. Ever since I took the road to Santiago I have understood that although life goes on and we are eternal, one day this existence will come to an end.
People think very little about death. They spend their lives worried about really absurd things, putting things off and leaving important moments aside. They risk nothing because they believe that is dangerous. They grumble a lot, but act like cowards when it is time to take certain steps. They want everything to change, but they themselves refuse to change. If they thought a little more about death, they would never fail to make that telephone call that they have been putting off. They would be a little more crazy. They would not be afraid of the end of this incarnation – because you cannot be afraid of something that is going to happen anyway.
The Indians say: “Today is as good a day as any other to leave this world”. And a sorcerer once remarked: “May death be always sitting beside you. That way, when you have to do something important, it will give you the strength and courage you need.” I hope, reader, that you have accompanied me this far. It would be silly to let the subject scare you, because sooner or later we are all going to die. And only those who accept this are prepared for life."
"Death twitches my ear; 'Live,' he says... 'I'm coming.'"
- Virgil
"Our Best Choice..."
"Good or bad, everything we do is
our best choice at that moment."
- William Glasser
"Life at −72°C: Yakutsk, Inside the Coldest Place on Earth"
Full screen recommended.
Window To Moscow, 12/26/25
"Life at −72°C: Yakutsk,
Inside the Coldest Place on Earth"
"This video shows real life in extreme cold - one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth. No talking. Only real visuals, natural sounds, and subtitles. You’ll see how people live and work in temperatures down to −72°C:
• daily life in extreme winter.
• how houses are built on permafrost.
• how cars start and run in extreme cold.
• the coldest local markets.
• reindeer herders living in the forest.
• local food and simple cold experiments.
This is not a travel vlog or a walking tour. It’s a visual documentary about survival, adaptation, and everyday life in the far north. Enjoy watching"
Comments here:
"It's Not the End of the World"
"It's Not the End of the World"
by Jeff Thomas
"Periodically, I’ll encounter someone who has read one of my essays and has decided not to pursue them further, stating, "You’re one of those ‘End of the world’ guys. I can’t be bothered reading the writings of someone who thinks we’re all doomed. I have a more positive outlook than that." In actual fact, I agree entirely with his latter two comments. I can’t be bothered reading the thoughts of a writer who says we’re all doomed, either. I, too, have a more positive outlook than that.
My one discrepancy with such comments is that I don’t by any means think that the present state of events will lead to the end of the world, as he assumes. But then, neither am I naïve enough to think that if I just hope for the best, the powers that be will cease to be parasitical and predatory out of sympathy for me. They will not.
For any serious student of history, one of the great realizations that occurs at some point is that governments are inherently controlling by nature. The more control they have, the more they desire and the more they pursue. After all, governments actually produce nothing. They exist solely upon what they can extract from the people they rule over. Therefore, their personal success is not measured by how well they serve their people, it’s measured by how much they can extract from the people. And so, it’s a given that all governments will pursue ever-greater levels of power over their minions up to and including the point of total dominance.
It should be said that, on rare occasions, a people will rise up and create a governmental system in which the rights of the individual are paramount. This was true in the creation of the Athenian Republic and the American Constitution, and even the British Magna Carta. However, these events are quite rare in history and, worse, as soon as they take place, those who gain power do their best to diminish the newly-gained freedoms. Such freedoms can almost never be destroyed quickly, but, over time and "by slow operations," as Thomas Jefferson was fond of saying, governments can be counted on to eventually destroy all freedoms.
We’re passing through a period in history in which the process of removing freedoms is nearing completion in many of the world’s foremost jurisdictions. The EU and US, in particular, are leading the way in this effort. Consequently, it shouldn’t be surprising that some predict "the end of the world." But, they couldn’t be more incorrect.
Surely, in 1789, the more productive people of France may have felt that the developing French Revolution would culminate in Armageddon. Similarly, in 1917, those who created prosperity in Russia may well have wanted to throw up their hands as the Bolsheviks seized power from the Romanovs.
Whenever a deterioration in rule is underway, as it is once again now, the observer has three choices:
Declare the End of the World: There are many people, worldwide, but particularly in the centers of the present deterioration – the EU and US – who feel that, since the situation in their home country is nearing collapse, the entire world must also be falling apart. This is not only a very myopic viewpoint, it’s also quite inaccurate. At any point in civilization in the past 2000 years or more, there have always been empires that were collapsing due to intolerable governmental dominance and there have always concurrently been alternative jurisdictions where the level of freedom was greater. In ancient Rome, when Diocletian devalued the currency, raised taxes, increased warfare and set price controls, those people who actually created the economy on a daily basis found themselves in the same boat as Europeans and Americans are finding themselves in, in the 21st century.
It may have seemed like the end of the world, but it was not. Enough producers left Rome and started over again in other locations. Those other locations eventually thrived as a result of the influx of productive people, while Rome atrophied.
Turn a Blind Eye: This is less dreary than the above approach, but it is nevertheless just as fruitless. It is, in fact, the most common of reactions – to just "hope for the best." It’s tempting to imagine that maybe the government will realize that they’re the only ones benefitting from the destruction of freedom and prosperity and they’ll feel bad and reverse the process. But this clearly will not happen. It’s also tempting to imagine that maybe it won’t get a whole lot worse and that life, although not all that good at present, might remain tolerable. Again, this is wishful thinking and the odds of it playing out in a positive way are slim indeed.
Accept the Truth, But Do Something About It: This, of course, is the hard one. Begin by recognizing the truth. If that truth is not palatable, study the situation carefully and, when a reasonably clear understanding has been reached, create an alternative. When governments enter the final decline stage, an alternative is not always easy to accept. It’s a bit like having a tooth pulled. You want to put it off, but the pain will only get worse if you delay. And so, you trundle off to the dentist unhappily, but, a few weeks after the extraction, you find yourself asking, "Why didn’t I do this sooner?"
To be sure, those who investigate and analyze the present socio-economic-political deterioration do indeed espouse a great deal of gloom, but this should not be confused with doom. In actual fact, the whole point of shining a light into the gloom is to avoid having it end in doom.
It should be said here that remaining in a country that is tumbling downhill socially, economically and politically is also not the end of the world. It is, however, true that the end result will not exactly be a happy one. If history repeats once again, it’s likely to be quite a miserable one.
Those who undertake the study of the present deterioration must, admittedly, address some pretty depressing eventualities and it would be far easier to just curl up on the sofa with a six-pack and watch the game, but the fact remains: unless the coming problems are investigated and an alternative found, those who sit on the sofa will become the victims of their own lethargy.
Sadly, we live in a period in history in which some of the nations that once held the greatest promise for the world are well on their way to becoming the most tyrannical. If by recognizing that fact, we can pursue better alternatives elsewhere on the globe, as people have done in previous eras. We may actually find that the field of daisies in the image above is still very much in existence, it’s just a bit further afield than it was in years gone by. And it is absolutely worthy of pursuit."
The Poet: Langston Hughes, "Mother To Son"
"Mother To Son"
"Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor -
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now-
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair."
- Langston Hughes
o
"You've seed how things goes in the world o' men. You've knowed men to be low-down and mean. You've seed ol' Death at his tricks... Ever' man wants life to be a fine thing, and a easy. 'Tis fine, boy, powerful fine, but 'tain't easy. Life knocks a man down and he gits up and it knocks him down agin. I've been uneasy all my life... I've wanted life to be easy for you. Easier'n 'twas for me. A man's heart aches, seein' his young uns face the world. Knowin' they got to get their guts tore out, the way his was tore. I wanted to spare you, long as I could. I wanted you to frolic with your yearlin'. I knowed the lonesomeness he eased for you. But ever' man's lonesome. What's he to do then? What's he to do when he gits knocked down? Why, take it for his share and go on.”
- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
"When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,'
I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'"
- Sydney J. Harris
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