Calgary, Alberta, Canada
So, we rise from the rubble...
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Tuesday, January 20, 2026
"Life..."
“Most do not fully see this truth that life is difficult. Instead they moan more or less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy. They voice their belief, noisily or subtly, that their difficulties represent a unique kind of affliction that should not be and that has somehow been especially visited upon them, or else upon their families, their tribe, their class, their nation, their race or even their species, and not upon others. Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit.”
- M. Scott Peck
o
"Whenever I hear someone sigh and say life is so hard
I'm always tempted to ask 'Compared to what?'"
- Sydney J. Harris
The Poet: Jane Hirshfield, "The Task "
"The Task "
"It is a simple garment, this slipped-on world.
We wake into it daily - open eyes, braid hair -
a robe unfurled
in rose-silk flowering, then laid bare.
And yes, it is a simple enough task
we've taken on,
though also vast:
from dusk to dawn,
from dawn to dusk, to praise, and not
be blinded by the praising.
To lie like a cat in hot
sun, fur fully blazing,
and dream the mouse;
and to keep too the mouse's patient, waking watch
within the deep rooms of the house,
where the leaf-flocked
sunlight never reaches, but the earth still blooms. "
- Jane Hirshfield
"Maya Angelou's Life Advice"
Full screen recommended.
"Maya Angelou's Life Advice"
"Maya Angelou born Marguerite Annie Johnson April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim."
"Are You A Gorilla Or A God?"
"Are You A Gorilla Or A God?"
By Paul Rosenberg
"Humanity stands about halfway between gorillas and gods. The great question that looms over us, is this: “Which will we incorporate into our lives? Primate things or God things?” Yes, choices are thrust upon us all our lives, accompanied with various levels of intimidation and threat, but at some point, all of us find ourselves able to choose freely. And it is then that we go in one direction or the other. We are able to change directions of course, but every time we choose, we move a step in one direction or the other.
What We Are: Please understand that I am not endorsing any specific theories here – religious, scientific, or otherwise. I’m merely describing the situation in which humanity finds itself. We are halfway between gorillas (or chimps, if you prefer) and gods: The worst things we do are primate things, and the best things we do are god-like things. Either direction is open to us.
Strange as it may seem, we are a lot like the lesser primates. Our bodies are built in the same ways, our body chemistry is nearly identical, and the worst aspects of human nature are essentially the same as the worst aspects of primate behavior.
We are also a lot like gods. We transcend entropy; we create. We can touch the soul in others, and the best aspects of human nature are essentially the same as the best characteristics attributed to gods.
This is not what we can be; this is what we are. What we become in the future depends on whether we choose gorilla things or god things, here and now.
What Are Gorilla and God Things? Gorilla things are those which operate on a dominant/submissive model. Hierarchy (high-level individuals controlling lower-level individuals) is the blueprint of the primate world. Dominant primates seek status and the power to control others. The submissive ones seek to pass along their pain to the animals below them (females, juveniles, etc.) and to avoid punishment. They are servile toward the dominants and cruel toward those they are able to dominate. Females trade sex for favors.
God things operate on a creative model. Blessing is the blueprint of the god world: distributing love, honesty, courage, kindness, blessing, awe, gratitude, and respect into the world and to other humans.
Gorilla things are these:
• The desire to rule.
• The desire to show superiority and status.
• Servility.
• Avoidance of responsibility.
• Reflexive criticism of anything new.
• Abuse of the weak or the outsider (women, children, Gypsies, Jews, immigrants, homosexuals, etc.).
God things are these:
• Producing things that preserve or enhance life.
• Invention and creativity.
• Expressing gratitude and appreciation.
• Experiencing awe and transcendence.
• Adaptability and openness.
• Improving yourself and others.
The Two Wolves: You’ve probably heard the old story of the two wolves: A young boy becomes angry and violent, and then feels guilty about his violence. He goes to his grandfather for advice. The old man says, “You have two wolves inside you: one of them is nice, the other is dangerous, and they’re fighting inside of you.” The boy then asks his grandfather, “Which one will win?” The old man replies, wisely, “Whichever one you feed.”
In the same way, humanity becomes like gorillas or gods depending on whether we build gorilla things or god things into our lives. I’m not going to tell you this is always easy, but the difficulty hardly matters: Somehow, we’ve been given a choice between becoming like gorillas or becoming like gods. No other creatures in this world have been given such a choice.
Bring god things into your life, and reject primate things. You are defining your own nature between two wildly different options, every day."
"What can we know? What are we all?
Poor silly half-brained things peering out at the infinite,
with the aspirations of angels and the instincts of beasts."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"A Lot Of People..."
"Thomas Edison said in all seriousness: "There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the labor of thinking"- if we bother with facts at all, we hunt like bird dogs after the facts that bolster up what we already think- and ignore all the others! We want only the facts that justify our acts- the facts that fit in conveniently with our wishful thinking and justify our preconceived prejudices. As Andre Maurois put it: "Everything that is in agreement with our personal desires seems true. Everything that is not puts us into a rage." Is it any wonder, then, that we find it so hard to get at the answers to our problems? Wouldn't we have the same trouble trying to solve a second-grade arithmetic problem, if we went ahead on the assumption that two plus two equals five? Yet there are a lot of people in this world who make life a hell for themselves and others by insisting that two plus two equals five - or maybe five hundred!"
- Dale Carnegie
Judge Napolitano, "Lt. Col. Bill Astore, American Empire is Breaking, Freefall Ahead"
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 1/20/26
"Lt. Col. Bill Astore,
American Empire is Breaking, Freefall Ahead"
Comments here:
o
"Alastair Crooke: Iran's Missile Dominance
Devastates Trump's War Plan, Russia in Control"
"Iran just taught the declining US empire a huge lesson in the modern era of war as its retaliation dominance sends shockwaves across the bow of Israel and the region. Former UK diplomat Alastair Crooke joins the show to break down why Trump is now turning his attention toward Russia and Europe in a bid to take over Greenland and why another round of war with Iran could be imminent."
Comments here:
"Americans Are Fleeing These States - The U-Haul Data Exposes the Truth"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 1/20/26
"Americans Are Fleeing These States -
The U-Haul Data Exposes the Truth"
"People aren’t complaining anymore - they’re leaving. The U-Haul Growth Index reveals where Americans are fleeing, where they’re going, and why this trend is accelerating. America's migration trends are shifting, and the U-Haul Growth Index reveals fascinating insights about where people are moving and why. In this video, I break down the top states gaining residents - like Texas, Florida, and South Carolina - and the ones losing them, including California, Illinois, and New Jersey. From taxes to weather, job opportunities to political reasons, these patterns are reshaping the nation. It’s incredible how U-Haul’s data helps us understand these changes, with 24,000 locations and millions of one-way rentals tracked every year."
Comments here:
"Walmart Closed: No Food Remaining on The Shelves - Panic"
Full screen recommended.
Boring Economic, 1/20/26
"Walmart Closed:
No Food Remaining on The Shelves - Panic"
"The retail apocalypse is no longer a distant warning - it's happening right now, and the signs are impossible to ignore. Walmart has permanently closed twenty-three locations, Target has shuttered nine stores, and Walgreens is closing a staggering twelve hundred pharmacies across America. These aren't struggling businesses making routine adjustments; these are Fortune 500 giants with access to economic data the public never sees, and they're retreating for reasons far deeper than theft or declining profits. The truth is, the global supply chain that has kept grocery shelves stocked for half a century has quietly collapsed, and we are now living in the early stages of systematic scarcity.
This video exposes the hidden economic forces driving these closures, from the breakdown of just-in-time delivery systems and skyrocketing diesel costs to the alarming rise of food nationalism and agricultural production failures worldwide. We examine how shrinkflation signals the exhaustion of corporate pricing power, why independent truckers are parking their rigs permanently, and what the emergence of pharmacy and food deserts means for millions of Americans. More critically, we reveal how digital rationing systems are being developed behind closed doors, why billionaires are aggressively buying farmland, and how the shift from global to local supply chains will reshape the entire economic landscape. Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or simply someone concerned about your family's future, understanding these systemic failures isn't optional anymore - it's essential for survival. The empty shelves are just the beginning."
Comments here:
Adventures With Danno, "Empty Shelves Everywhere At Target! What's Coming?"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 1/20/26
"Empty Shelves Everywhere At Target! What's Coming?"
Comments here:
Bill Bonner, "Ticking Time Bond"
"Ticking Time Bond"
by Bill Bonner
Rancho Santana, Nicaragua - "Tariffs are a kind of duct tape for this administration. An all-purpose fix-it, they are used - with equal effectiveness - to gum up trade, to stop drug trafficking, bully foreign courts and influence foreign elections, pay off campaign contributors, protect domestic industries from competition, discourage immigration, show dissatisfaction with foreigners’ opinions...try to hamstring challengers...and what else?
Oh yes...to punish foreign nations for respecting their NATO treaty obligations. The National: "Greenland tariffs: Trump imposes extra 10% tax on European countries supporting Denmark. Penalty for defenders of Arctic territory to rise to 25% in June."
Many are the different uses. All of them unconstitutional, unsuccessful - or both! At least, that is what most serious observers say. he US into a pariah nation...an outlaw...a rogue; they make it weaker, poorer, and more alone.
Returning to our line of thought from last week, America’s superpower is its bubble currency, the post-1971 dollar. When the foreigners use it as a reserve currency, they have a clear ‘liquidity preference’ for the buck. They get it by sending useful things to America...and then, rather than put it back into the US ‘industrial economy’ by buying products from the US, they tuck it away in the financial economy.
Reclining comfortably in central bank reserves, the foreigners’ dollars do not compete for happy meals or sad funeral lilies. Instead, they are used to buy US bonds, helping to reduce the cost of US borrowing while also softening price increases. But when that liquidity preference gives way to an illiquidity preference - in which they begin to feel they’re getting ripped off - the foreigners will get rid of dollars as fast as possible. That is when America’s bubble economy comes to an end.
The South China Morning Post: "China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell. China trimmed its holdings of US Treasuries in November to the lowest level since 2008, diverging from a global trend that saw total foreign ownership of the debt instruments hit a record high. Analysts say the prospect of a politicized Federal Reserve chairmanship under Donald Trump’s presidency has deepened Beijing’s concerns over its exposure to American debt, with more cuts expected."
That may be the real reason the US attacked Iraq and Venezuela; the two nations sold their oil for other currencies. With no dollars needed, none went into US debt and none helped finance US deficits. Fans credit the Trump administration with ‘thinking through second- and third-order effects.’ But maybe they should look at the first order effects. Weaponizing the dollar? Sanctions and tariffs? Invading foreign countries, bombing, murdering civilians and kidnapping heads of state?
Foreign nations used to want to be part of the great dollar empire because the US had the biggest economy, the most powerful military, and a reputation for generally following the rules of civilized nations. Now, the US economy has been upstaged by China...and the reputation for rule-following has been erased. That leaves the military to back up America’s position with the only thing we have left: brute force.
Ultimately, this vinegar is not likely to catch many flies. Instead, our former friends are now buzzing towards sweeter, more reliable partners. Harici: "Canadian Prime Minister Carney in China to ‘restart’ relations. China praised Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing this week on Thursday, describing it as “critical” in his efforts to rearrange relations after months of intense re-engagement. These statements of China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, came during a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, who has been on Carney’s delegation as part of the first visit of a Canadian prime minister since 2017."
CSIS adds: "America’s volatile foreign policy is forcing India to revisit its own priorities. Domestically, the Modi government seems intent to move faster on domestic reforms to buttress growth that is ordinarily fueled by commercial ties with the United States. Internationally, India is redoubling efforts to build stronger bilateral connections with key partners. Recent summits with the leaders of Russia and China received a great deal of attention."
Mr. Trump’s policies are not unpredictable - duct tape tariffs included. At home and abroad, they keep the cameras on Trump. They give Americans ‘enemies’ they can rally against. They justify more dollars for the powerful firepower industry. They help cement the bond with Israel, America’s last ally. And they distract the public from the feds’ lawlessness and corruptions. Most important, they may keep the bubble economy bubbling along - for now.
Click image for larger size.
The value of China’s official holdings of US Treasury bonds is $682 billion, according to the most recent data of the Treasury International Capital report. That’s down over 48% from the peak of over $1.3 trillion in November 2013. Japan is the largest holder of US bonds, at $1.2 trillion, followed by the UK at $888 billion."
o
Jeremiah Babe, 1/20/26
"Warning! Countries Are Dumping U.S. Assets,
Gold is Soaring; Dollars Won't feed Your Family"
Comments here:
"Alert! Major SHTF Event Coming; Civil War Is Planned Diversion"
Prepper News, 1/19/26
"Alert! Major SHTF Event Coming;
Civil War Is Planned Diversion"
Comments here:
Monday, January 19, 2026
"The Food Crisis Nobody Thought Possible Is Here And Prices Are Set To Hit Astronomical Levels"
Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 1/19/26
"The Food Crisis Nobody Thought Possible Is
Here And Prices Are Set To Hit Astronomical Levels"
"The cost of food is getting really difficult for so many families right now. I'm sharing stories from people across the country who are struggling just to put groceries on the table. From taking out loans to buy food to waiting overnight at food banks, this is the reality for millions. Meanwhile, prices keep going up and wages haven't kept pace. If you're going through this too, know you're not alone. Let me know your thoughts and share your experiences down below."
Comments here:
Musical Interlude: Disturbed, "The Sound Of Silence"
Full screen recommended.
Disturbed, "The Sound Of Silence", Studio
Singer David Draiman
1.1 Billion views...
I've listened to this 100 times, there's "something" here,
it touches your soul, and if there are words for it I don't know them...
Full screen recommended.
Disturbed, "The Sound Of Silence", Live
166 million views...
"A Look to the Heavens"
“M13 is one of the most prominent and best known globular clusters. Visible with binoculars in the constellation of Hercules, M13 is frequently one of the first objects found by curious sky gazers seeking celestials wonders beyond normal human vision.
M13 is a colossal home to over 100,000 stars, spans over 150 light years across, lies over 20,000 light years distant, and is over 12 billion years old. At the 1974 dedication of Arecibo Observatory, a radio message about Earth was sent in the direction of M13. The featured image in HDR, taken through a small telescope, spans an angular size just larger than a full Moon, whereas the inset image, taken by Hubble Space Telescope, zooms in on the central 0.04 degrees.”
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160727.html"It Is Our Fate..."
"Well, it is our fate to live in a time of crisis. To live in a time when all forms and values are being challenged. In other and more easy times, it was not, perhaps, necessary for the individual to confront himself with a clear question: What is it that you really believe? What is it that you really cherish? What is it for which you might, actually, in a showdown, be willing to die? I say, with all the reticence which such large, pathetic words evoke, that one cannot exist today as a person, one cannot exist in full consciousness, without having to have a showdown with one's self, without having to define what it is that one lives by, without being clear in one's mind what matters and what does not matter."
- Dorothy Thompson
"It Will Happen Suddenly"
"It Will Happen Suddenly"
by Jeff Thomas
"As the Great Unravelling progresses, we shall be seeing many negative developments, some of them unprecedented. Only a year ago, the average person was still hanging on to the belief that the world is in a state of recovery, that, however tentative, the economy was on the mend. And this is understandable. After all, the media have been doing a bang-up job of explaining the situation in a way that treats recovery as a general assumption. The only point of discussion is the method applied to achieve the recovery, but the recovery itself is treated as a given.
However, as thorough a distraction as the media (and the governments of the world) have provided, the average person has begun to recognise that something is fundamentally wrong. He now has a gut feeling that, even if he is not well-versed enough to describe in economic terms what is incorrect in the endless chatter he sees on his television, he now senses that the situation will not end well.
I tend to liken his situation to someone who suddenly finds all the lights off in his house. He stumbles around in the dark, trying to feel his way. Although he can picture in his mind what the layout of his house is, he is having trouble navigating, often bumping into things. This is similar to the attempt to see through the media and government smokescreens during normal times. But soon, as his government undergoes collapse, he will be getting some bigger surprises. He will find that the furniture has inexplicably been moved around. Objects are not where they are supposed to be, and it is no longer possible to reason his way through the problem of navigating in the dark.
Many of those who observe the daily news reports are beginning to figure out that they are being fed misinformation. Many are beginning to recognise that neither political party truly represents them or, for that matter, is even concerned for their welfare. These folks are now navigating in the dark. But the bigger surprises have not yet occurred. There will be a certain amount of lead-up, plus a great deal of confusion, but the actual occurrences will be sudden. No one will be able to predict the dates on which they occur, except those very few people who control the triggers to these events.
Crashes in the Markets: Major bull markets rarely end with a whimper. They end with a major upside spike. And, unfortunately, brokers and investors alike tend to think that, if the market has been up for the last week, the last month, or the last year, it can be expected to be up again tomorrow. This makes them prime pickings for governments who may choose to falsely inflate a given market, creating an upside spike to encourage investors to toss their last few coins into the pot, just before the bottom drops out.
In previous eras, it could take time for people to sell, and even in panic times, the bloodletting was not instantaneous. However, with the Internet, all that is necessary is a major sell-off by one entity - one that goes through the stops of a large number of investors, and in a flash, the market goes though the floor. (Editor’s note: Stops are orders placed with a broker to sell a security when it reaches a certain price.) The average investor wakes in the morning to find that he has been wiped out.
Commitments by Governments: Should there be a currency crash, as is expected in many countries, promises made by governments will be abandoned suddenly, as though they had never existed. Whilst millions of people will find themselves lost, unable to function without their entitlements, governments will evade their guilt through finger-pointing. Tories will blame Labour; Labour will blame the Tories. (The equivalent will take place in other countries.) The net result will be the disappearance of entitlements, either in part or in total. The public will take out its anger through increased hatred of whichever party it is that they already consider to be the evil one. They will fail to understand that collapse was unavoidable.
Assumed National Strengths Will Vanish: International alliances will fall away. Former allies will suddenly not be at the side of the failing nation. Former friends will sign alliances with the other side. Trade agreements will suddenly cease. Wealth, initiative, and favor will flow to the new foremost country and its allies. All of the above will happen incrementally - not by any means on the same day - but in each case, the actual occurrence will be sudden.
Just as Julius Caesar was at his peak of power when his fellow members of the Senate drew their knives, a powerful nation is coddled right until the time of its fall. In this regard, the US will see the greatest abandonment of loyalties that any nation will experience. (The greater the empire, the greater the pretence of loyalty to it. And the greater the abandonment when the fall comes.)
When an empire collapses, it dies slowly. Unless it comes to an end through conquest, it deteriorates in a series of sudden jolts. Its leaders grasp at anything that might cause a delay, even if this means a worse outcome in the end. The process may take years and even decades. However, it is in the first few years that the major events occur - the events that create the most significant damage.
This occurs for two reasons. The first is that the leaders of the country, believing in their own power, believe that they can maintain control of their trade, their overseas control, their military, etc. and find that, when the crashes come, the rats desert the ship in every area. The second reason is that any empire builds its strength upon lies and exaggeration as much as it builds on its true attributes. After a crash, these lies and exaggerations fall away, and in a short time, it becomes clear that the empire was, in its latter stages, a house of cards.
The warning signs are already taking place but are not heavily publicized. The stage is set, and we are approaching the first major events. The victims in this play are, unfortunately, the average people, who simply hope to have a decent life. They will be caught unawares and unable to even understand what has occurred, let alone take action to save themselves. Those who have not spent the previous years educating themselves and preparing an alternative life will suffer most greatly.
History shows that the most damaging moments rarely announce themselves in advance. They arrive quickly, amid confusion, when most people are still assuming tomorrow will look like yesterday. The warning signs are no longer abstract - they’re converging, and the current turmoil could eclipse every major crisis in US history."
"What Happens When The Competent Opt Out?"
"What Happens When The Competent Opt Out?"
By this terminal stage, the competent
have been driven out, quit or burned out.
by Charles Hugh Smith
"What happens with the competent retire, burn out or opt out? It's a question few bother to ask because the base assumption is that there is an essentially limitless pool of competent people who can be tapped or trained to replace those who retire, burn out or opt out, i.e. quit in favor of a lifestyle that doesn't require much in the way of income or stress. These assumptions are no longer valid. A great many essential services that are tightly bound to other essential services are cracking as the competent decide (or realize) they're done with the rat-race.
The drivers of the Competent Opting Out are obvious yet difficult to quantify. Those retiring, burning out and opting out will deny they're leaving for these reasons because it's not politic to be so honest and direct. They will offer time-honored dodges such as "pursue other opportunities" or "family obligations."
1. The steady increase in workloads, paperwork, compliance and make-work (i.e. work that has nothing to do with the institution's actual purpose and mission) that lead to burnout. There is only so much we can accomplish, and if we're burdened with ever-increasing demands for paperwork, compliance, useless meetings, training sessions, etc., then we no longer have the time or energy to perform our productive work.
I wrote a short book on my experience of Burnout. I believe it is increasingly common in jobs that demand responsibility and accountability yet don't provide the tools and time to fulfill these demands. Once you've burned out, you cannot continue. That option no longer exists.
For others, the meager rewards simply aren't worth the sacrifices required. The theme song playing in the background is the Johnny Paycheck classic Take this job and shove it.
Healthcare workloads, paperwork and compliance are one example of many. Failure to complete all the make-work can have dire consequences, so it becomes necessary to do less "real work" in order to complete all the work that has little or nothing to do with actual patient care. Alternatively, the workload expands to the point that it breaks the competent and they leave.
2. Loss of autonomy, control, belonging, rewards, accomplishment and fairness. Professor Christina Malasch pioneered research on the causes of burnout, which can be summarized as any work environment that reduces autonomy, control, belonging, rewards, accomplishment and fairness. Despite a near-infinite avalanche of corporate happy-talk ("we're all family,"--oh, barf) this describes a great many work environments in the US: in a word, depersonalized. Everyone is a replaceable cog in a great impersonal machine optimized to maximize profits for shareholders.
3. The politicization of the work environment. Let's begin by distinguishing between policies enforcing equal opportunity, pay, standards and accountability, policies required to fulfill the legal promises embedded in the nation's social contract, and politicization, which demands allegiance and declarations of loyalty to political ideologies that have nothing to do with the work being done or the standards of accountability necessary to the operation of the complex institution or enterprise.
The problem with politicization is that it is 1) intrinsically inauthentic and 2) it substitutes the ideologically pure for the competent. Rigid, top-down hierarchies (including not just Communist regimes but corporations and institutions) demand expressions of fealty (the equivalent of loyalty oaths) and compliance to ideological demands (check the right boxes of party indoctrination, "self-criticism," "struggle sessions," etc.).
The correct verbiage and ideological enthusiasm become the basis of advancement rather than accountability to standards of competence. The competent are thus replaced with the politically savvy. Since competence is no longer being selected for, it's replaced by what is being selected for, political compliance.
It doesn't matter what flavor of ideological purity holds sway - conservative, progressive, communist or religious - all fatally erode competence by selecting for ideological compliance. Everyone knows the enthusiasm is inauthentic and only for show, but artifice and inauthenticity are perfectly adequate for the politicization taskmasters.
4. The competent must cover for the incompetent. As the competent tire of the artifice and make-work and quit, the remaining competent must work harder to keep everything glued together. Their commitment to high standards and accountability are their undoing, as the slack-masters and incompetent either don't care ("I'm just here to qualify for my pension") or they've mastered the processes of masking their incompetence, often by blaming the competent or the innocent for their own failings.
This additional workload crushes the remaining competent who then burn out and quit, go on disability or opt out, changing their lifestyle to get by on far less income, work, responsibility and far less exposure to the toxic work environments created by depersonalization, politicization and the elevation of the incompetent.
5. As the competent leadership leaves, the incompetent takes the reins, blind to their own incompetence. It all looked so easy when the competent were at the helm, but reality is a cruel taskmaster, and all the excuses that worked as an underling wear thin once the incompetent are in leadership roles. By this terminal stage, the competent have been driven out, quit or burned out. There's only slack-masters and incompetent left, and the toxic work environment has been institutionalized, so no competent individual will even bother applying, much less take a job doomed to burnout and failure.
This is why systems are breaking down before our eyes and why the breakdowns will spread with alarming rapidity due the tightly bound structure of complex systems."
"The Lost Society: The Age of Decay and Mental Collapse"
Full screen recommended.
The Psyche,
"The Lost Society:
The Age of Decay and Mental Collapse"
"In this video, we explore 'The Lost Society: The Age of Decay and Mental Collapse' - a powerful journey into the hidden forces shaping our time. Drawing on the wisdom of Nietzsche, Jung, Frankl, Camus, and other great thinkers, this reflection reveals how civilizations collapse not only through politics or economics, but through the erosion of meaning, authenticity, and inner strength.
Are we living in an age of silent collapse? Why do anxiety, loneliness, and burnout rise in a world of endless comfort and information? And most importantly - how can we resist despair and transform decay into renewal? Through history, philosophy, and psychology, this video uncovers: Why societal decline begins in the human spirit. How distraction, conformity, and loss of meaning fuel collapse. What timeless wisdom can teach us about resilience and rebirth. Practical steps to reclaim authenticity, community, and purpose. This is not just a story of collapse - it is also a story of rebirth. Renewal begins with you."
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"Americans Have Been Forced Into A Rigged And Unhappy Life"
Steve James, 1/19/26
"Americans Have Been Forced
Into A Rigged And Unhappy Life"
"We all see it, every moment of peace has been turned into a transaction in our lives. All the while the job market has worsened to being unrecognizable, and a major indicator of the economy getting worse."
Comments here:
"Millions Are Losing Interest in Everything… America Has Changed"
Full screen recommended.
A Homestead Journey, 1/19/26
"Millions Are Losing Interest in Everything…
America Has Changed"
"Millions of Americans are losing interest in everything as America has changed since 2020, with inflation, the cost of living crisis, cultural shifts, and economic pressure reshaping everyday life. Across the country, people are feeling disconnected, burned out, and fed up with modern life, nonstop work, rising prices, and a system that feels harder to survive in. In this video, we talk honestly about why so many Americans feel emotionally checked out, why society feels different, and why trust in institutions, work, and capitalism is fading. From financial stress and social tension to burnout, overstimulation, and uncertainty about the future of America, this feeling isn’t isolated — it’s widespread. Many people are pulling back, simplifying their lives, and questioning whether the system still works for everyday Americans. If you’ve felt like something is off, like people have changed, or like life feels harder than it used to, you’re not alone. America has changed - and millions feel it."
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The Poet: Galway Kinnel, "Another Night in the Ruins"
"Another Night in the Ruins"
"How many nights must it take
one such as me to learn
that we aren't, after all, made
from that bird that flies out of its ashes,
that for us
as we go up in flames,
our one work is
to open ourselves,
to be the flames?"
~ Galway Kinnel
"There Are Meaningful Warnings..."
“There are meaningful warnings which history gives a threatened or perishing society. Such are, for instance, the decadence of art, or a lack of great statesmen. There are open and evident warnings, too. The center of your democracy and of your culture is left without electric power for a few hours only, and all of a sudden crowds of American citizens start looting and creating havoc. The smooth surface film must be very thin, then, the social system quite unstable and unhealthy. But the fight for our planet, physical and spiritual, a fight of cosmic proportions, is not a vague matter of the future; it has already started. The forces of Evil have begun their offensive; you can feel their pressure, and yet your screens and publications are full of prescribed smiles and raised glasses. What is the joy about?”
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
"Here And Now..."
“That we can never know,” answered the wolf angrily. “That’s for the future. But what we can know is the importance of what we owe to the present. Here and now, and nowhere else. For nothing else exists, except in our minds. What we owe to ourselves, and to those we’re bound to. And we can at least hope to make a better future, for everything.”
- David Clement Davies
"A Chores List For An 8-Year-Old Boy From The Early 1990s Demonstrates How Far Our Society Has Degenerated Since Then"
"A Chores List For An 8-Year-Old Boy From The Early 1990s
Demonstrates How Far Our Society Has Degenerated Since Then"
by Michael Snyder
"One of the keys to being successful in life is a strong work ethic. No matter where you find yourself, if you are willing to work hard you are more likely to get ahead. This is something that I have studied for many years. Tom Brady, Michael Jordan and Jerry Rice were all born with physical gifts, but so were countless others. The primary reason why Tom Brady, Michael Jordan and Jerry Rice are now considered to be some of the greatest athletes of all-time is because they simply worked harder than everyone else. When Tom Brady came out of college, he didn’t have a gun for an arm and he was very slow. He was not a highly regarded prospect, and so he was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft. But once he got into the league, he worked like mad, and eventually he won seven Super Bowls. If he had not been willing to work extremely hard, he could have easily faded into obscurity without ever accomplishing much of anything.
Have you noticed that a lot of young people today don’t want to work hard? There are a lot of employers that specifically avoid hiring those that are fresh out of college because they have a reputation for being lazy. Of course the reason why they are not inclined to work hard is because they have never been trained to work hard. If kids do not learn self-discipline when they are young, they are not likely to learn it as adults. That is why it is vital to create a structure that makes self-discipline a part of their normal routine.
Recently, a man named Carol Randolph Jr. shared a chores list that he was expected to complete as an 8-year-old boy in the early 1990s… A chore list from a Philadelphia household in the early 90s has been praised by users on social media. The list, posted on Threads by Carl Randolph Jr., (@fatcarl_sp) lays out daily, weekly and monthly expectations that began when he was just 8 years old. His father, Carl Randolph Sr. wrote instructions for making the bed, completing homework, doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms and kitchens, vacuuming, wiping down furniture, and even washing down the exterior of the house with a hose, weather permitting. Carl Randolph Sr. was a single father, and so having a very strict routine was very important. And by having all of the household tasks on a regular schedule, it ensured that everything ultimately got done…
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What percentage of parents have a list of chores this extensive today? Needless to say, that number would be really, really small. So where did Carl Randolph Sr. get his work ethic? Well, it turns out that he served in the U.S. Navy…Before school, Carl Jr. was expected to make his bed, eat breakfast, check homework for “neatness and completeness” and be out the door before 6:50 a.m. In the comments, he clarified that his father was in the Navy. Dishes could not be left in the sink. Trash had to be taken out and liners replaced. Even leisure time was conditional - earned once obligations were met. The tone is firm but not punitive, focused less on control and more on preparation. “We had fun doing these duties, but he didn’t play about getting business done or breaking rules,” Carl Jr. said.
In those days, virtually anyone that served in the U.S. military was going to develop a very strong sense of self-discipline. Of course much has changed since that time. We have gotten soft as a society, and our system of education is completely failing our young people. Just look at what is happening to ACT scores for college-bound seniors…
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The level of education that our young people are receiving in our public schools is a joke. And many of our young people have no moral foundation whatsoever. Earlier this month, an 11-year-old boy in Pennsylvania shot his own father to death…"An 11-year-old boy faces homicide charges after shooting and killing his father in Perry County, according to Pennsylvania State Police. WGAL News 8 obtained court documents that reveal new details about what happened the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 13, in Duncannon Borough. Officers responded to a home on South Market Street around 3:20 a.m. for an “unresponsive male” and found Douglas Dietz, 42, dead from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the documents."
I haven’t even told you the worst part yet. It appears that he shot his own father to death because his Nintendo Switch had been taken away…"Clayton said he found the key in his father’s drawer and unlocked the safe in an attempt to find his Nintendo Switch, which was previously taken away from him, according to the documents. Clayton admitted to “removing the gun from the safe, loading bullets into it and walking over to his father’s side of the bed,” the affidavit stated. “He pulled back the hammer and fired the gun at his father.”
We have raised an entire generation of ultra-coddled young people that are completely addicted to entertainment and that have never learned to fend for themselves. As a result, one out of every five 30-year-old men in the United States still lives at home…"This is during a time of acute anxiety and curiosity about young men in America. Much ink has been spilled about their loneliness, their jawlines, their physical fitness and about being “performative males.” The prolific podcaster Scott Galloway’s book “Notes on Being a Man” jumped to No. 1 on the New York Times advice bestseller list when it was published in November and sparked fresh discussion about the “masculinity crisis.” (On “Today,” Savannah Guthrie asked Galloway why “this particular cohort - young men - have fallen so far so fast” as an infographic citing Galloway’s book noted that 1 in 5 30-year-old men still live at home.)
We wouldn’t be in this mess if we had taught our young people the value of hard work. When I was born, it was very common for a 25-year-old man to already be married and own a home. Today, it is extremely rare to find a 25-year-old man that is both married and a homeowner. There was a time when Americans were known for their work ethic. Sadly, those of us that have been around long enough to have experienced that are getting older with each passing day."
"God Bless the Gipper"
"God Bless the Gipper"
by Dr. Robert W. Malone
"Reagan on Volunteerism: One of Reagan’s superpowers was his fundamental belief that Americans would step up to help other Americans if the government would just get out of the way. Ronald Reagan’s view of volunteerism was that a strong society is primarily built from the bottom up, through personal responsibility and voluntary effort, rather than through top-down government control. He held that Americans are inherently generous and that true compassion arises most effectively when it originates spontaneously in individuals, families, churches, and local communities rather than through bureaucratic directives.
Reagan argued that volunteerism preserves human dignity. When people help one another by choice, both the giver and the recipient remain active participants in community life. By contrast, he feared that expansive government welfare programs would unintentionally foster dependency, reduce personal initiative, and transform citizens into passive clients of the State. In his view, charity administered close to home was more responsive, humane, and effective than distant federal programs and systems.
Importantly, Reagan did not claim that the government had no role at all. Instead, he believed its main responsibility was to create the conditions for prosperity and freedom. That economic growth, employment opportunities, and social stability are paramount. Therefore, citizens would be empowered to care for one another voluntarily. In his framework, the government should support civil society, not replace it.
At its core, Reagan’s view of volunteerism reflected an optimistic faith in the American people that seems lost in today’s high-tech, digital world. He trusted that when individuals are free, prosperous, and responsible, they will step forward to meet social needs. For Reagan, volunteerism was not a secondary supplement to government action; it was the moral engine of a free society and a defining feature of American civic life.
This country is now in a crucible, being subjected to intense heat stoked by partisan divisions grounded in major philosophical differences. Shall we continue to rely on the federal government to “solve” all our problems, or do we, as a nation and as individuals, step up and take responsibility?
Do we support our families and even our neighbors when they need a helping hand, or do we turn away? Do we help out in our churches, soup kitchens, and hospitals? Do we tutor, mentor, and babysit the children in our lives? Do we find ways to enrich our communities, or do we expect the government to step in and fulfill these needs?
I believe, like President Reagan did and JD Vance does, that we should revisit the concept of limited government, and each do our part to stay engaged in community activities. A productive life is one that is actively lived. A return to Judeo-Christian values is essential for preserving and strengthening American exceptionalism. Though it may seem naive, I believe that by staying united and resilient, we will all thrive and remain free.
Ronald Reagan on Liberalism (1975): "I think that the heart of my philosophy is much more libertarian. A conservative is a libertarian. He always has been. Because what do we call a liberal? Someone very profoundly once said many years ago that if fascism ever comes to America, it’ll come in the name of liberalism. And what is fascism? Fascism is private ownership, private enterprise, but total government control and regulation. Well, isn’t this the liberal philosophy? The conservative so- called is the one that says, “less government. Get off my back, get out of my pocket, and let me have more control of my own destiny.”
President Reagan’s most famous quotes still reverberate today, and to quote him is to honor him. So, take these and use them - with credit where it’s due!
• “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” First Inaugural Address, 1981.
• “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” 1986 press conference.
• “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” 1964 speech, later frequently quoted as president.
• “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.” 1964
• “We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.”
• “The best social program is a job.”
• “America is too great for small dreams.”
• “We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around.”
• “There is no such thing as left or right. There is only up or down. Up to man’s age-old dream, down to the ant heap of totalitarianism.”
• “We’re the beacon on the hill.” (From his frequent use of John Winthrop’s ‘city upon a hill’ imagery.)
• “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Berlin Wall speech, 1987
• “Trust, but verify.” (A Russian proverb Reagan popularized in arms-control diplomacy.)
• “Freedom and democracy will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history.” 1982 speech to the British Parliament.
• “We win, they lose.” (Informal but influential framing of Cold War strategy.)
• “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size.”
• “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
• “Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in.’”
• “I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency - even if I’m in a Cabinet meeting.”
• “Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.”
Reagan noted that you can’t force a horse, you have to guide it, earn its trust, and stay balanced. He liked to use this concept when talking about leadership and the need for restraint. I maintain that horsemanship has been so prized in past generations for precisely this reason. That leaders of yore, recognized that by learning how to train a horse, one learns how to manage people. And by all accounts, Reagan was a most excellent horseman.."
"People Are Done - This Is Why Everyone Feels Angry Right Now"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly 1/19/26
"People Are Done -
This Is Why Everyone Feels Angry Right Now"
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Full screen recommended.
RV Crisis, 1/19/26
"Millions Of Seniors Are Becoming
Homeless In The U.S. - Shelters Can’t Keep Up"
"Most people don’t imagine seniors when they think about homelessness. But fixed incomes don’t stretch, the system doesn’t wait, and bodies don’t recover the way they used to. A small disruption can turn into a housing crisis quicker than most people realize. Shelters are overwhelmed because they’re catching the fallout, not the cause. To understand why, you have to look earlier in the chain…"
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Adventures With Danno, "Massive Price Increases At Kroger! What's Next?"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 1/19/26
"Massive Price Increases At Kroger! What's Next?"
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Full screen recommended.
Travelling With Russell, 1/19/26
"Russian Typical Supermarket
After 1400 Days of Sanction"
"What does a Russian typical supermarket look like inside? Join me on a tour of a typical Russian supermarket on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia. Avoska supermarket is a Russian-owned chain of stores with more than 50 locations across the country."
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