"Burnout"

"Burnout"

by Charles Hugh Smith

"At least once a year, I completely burn out: exhausted, I no longer have the energy or will to care about anything but the bare minimum for survival. Everything not essential for survival gets jettisoned or set aside. This goes with the territory if you're trying to accomplish a lot of things that are intrinsically complex and open-ended - for example, running a business, being a parent, juggling college, work, family, community commitments, etc. 

I am confident many if not most of you have experienced burnout due to being overwhelmed by open-ended, inherently complex commitments.

I don't think burnout is limited to individuals. I think entire organizations and institutions can experience burnout, especially organizations devoted to caring for others or those facing long odds of fulfilling their core purpose. I even think entire nations can become exhausted by the effort of keeping up appearances or navigating endless crises. At that point, the individuals and institutions of the nation just go through the motions of coping rather than continue the struggle. Perhaps Venezuela is a current example.

I have long suspected that in many ways America is just going through the motions.  John Michael Greer (the Archdruid) has brilliantly described a process he calls catabolic collapse, which I would characterize as the stairstep-down of overly complex, costly systems as participants react to crises by resetting to a lower level of complexity and consumption.

Just as ecosystems have intrinsic carrying capacities, so too do individual humans and human systems. When our reach exceeds our grasp, and the costs of complexity exceed the carrying capacity of the underlying systems, then we have to move down to a lower level of complexity and lower cost-structure/energy consumption.

This sounds straightforward enough, but it isn't that easy in real life. We can't offload our kids and downsize to part-time parenting or magically reduce the complexities of operating a small business (or two). These tasks are intrinsically open-ended. Reductions in stress and complexity such as quitting a demanding job (and earning one-third of our former salary) require long years of trimming and planning.

So what can we do to work through burnout? Since I'm designed to over-commit myself, burnout is something I've dealt with since my late teens. I like to think I'm getting better at managing it, but this is probably illusory. (It may be one of those cases where the illusion is useful because it's positive and hopeful.) I find these responses helpful:

1. Reduce whatever complexity can be reduced. Even something as simple as making a pot of chili or soup to eat for a few days (minimizing daily meal prep) helps. Reduce interactions and transactions.

2. Daily walks - two a day if possible. If there is any taken-for-granted magic in daily life (other than sleep, dreaming and playing music), it's probably walking - especially if you let your mind wander rather than keep working.

3. More naps, more sleep.

4. Avoid the temptations of overly fatty/sweet/carbo comfort food, digital distractions, etc.

5. Keep to positive routines (stretching, walking, etc.), no matter how tired and down you feel.

6. Set aside time to play your musical instrument of choice, preferably improvisation rather than practice.

7. Do whatever calms your mind, even if it requires effort.

8. Do stuff you enjoy and set aside as much of the stuff you actively dislike doing as possible.

9. Set aside solitary time to "do nothing." Lowering the barriers raised by conscious effort, focus and thought may well be critical to our well-being.

This is one conclusion from research cited by Sherry Turkel in "Scientific American": "For the first time in the history of our species, we are never alone and never bored. Have we lost something fundamental about being human?"

I think the answer is an unequivocal yes. Our minds need periods of solitude, aimless wandering (i.e. boredom), time to integrate thoughts and feelings, time to question things and time for introspection. Without these restorative periods, we end up just going through the motions, on an autopilot setting of keeping overly complex lives and systems duct-taped together. This leads to burnout, and eventually to some measure of catabolic collapse/system reset.”

- http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/

Related:

“How to Recognize and Recover From Burnout and Depression”

"How It Really Is"

The best little whorehouse, well, anywhere...

"One Question..."

"There's only one question that matters, and it's the one you never get around to asking. People are capable of varying degrees of truth. The majority spend their entire lives fabricating an elaborate skein of lies, immersing themselves in the faith of bad faith, doing whatever it takes to feel safe. The person who truly lives has precious few moments of safety, learns to thrive in any kind of storm. It's the truth you can stare down stone-cold that makes you what you are. Weak or strong. Live or die. Prove yourself. How much truth can you take?"

- Karen Marie Moning

"How 99% of Humanity Pays to Be Enslaved"

Full screen recommended.

The Psyche, 2/14/26

"How 99% of Humanity Pays to Be Enslaved"

"Most people believe they are free…but what if that belief is the greatest illusion of all? In this video, we dive into one of the most uncomfortable truths about modern society: 99% of humanity is unknowingly paying - financially, emotionally, and psychologically - to remain enslaved. From invisible economic systems to cultural conditioning, from consumer identity to mental programming, this video uncovers the hidden mechanisms that shape human behavior without our awareness. Throughout history, philosophers like Plato, Foucault, Jung, Huxley, Rousseau, and Krishnamurti have warned us about invisible forms of control. Today, these mechanisms are more sophisticated than ever - and most people defend them without realizing why. This is not just a video - it is an invitation to self-awareness, inner liberation, and conscious living. If you have ever felt that something in society is deeply wrong…if you sense that life should be more than routine, pressure, and survival…if you are on a journey of awakening…This video will speak directly to you. The final revelation may change the way you see the world forever."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"It's Over: $34 Trillion Collapse: Ray Dalio's Final Warning To America"

Full screen recommended.

Finance Expert, 2/14/26

"It's Over: $34 Trillion Collapse:

 Ray Dalio's Final Warning To America"

"Ray Dalio has issued a terrifying warning: The US Empire is in the late stage of the "Big Debt Cycle" and we have only 18 months left before a historic financial reset. In this video, we expose why the US government paying $1.1 Trillion in interest is the signal to exit the dollar. We break down Dalio's "Holy Grail" portfolio and the only 4 investments that will survive the coming stagflation: Gold, Commodities, International Markets, and Innovation. We analyze why the 60/40 portfolio is a death trap in 2026 and how the "Bond Vigilantes" are forcing the Fed to print money. From the weaponization of the dollar to the rise of the BRICS nations, we cover the geopolitical shifts the media ignores. If you hold cash, bonds, or S&P 500 index funds, you need to understand why "Cash is Trash" and how to diversify into hard assets before capital controls lock you in. Learn how to protect your wealth with the strategies of the world's largest hedge fund."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"US Debt Clock, Real Time"

Full screen recommended. 

- https://usdebtclock.org/#

"We're so freakin' doomed!"

- The Mogambo Guru

Dan, I Allegedly, "The Great Rip Off - Homes, Cars & Your Money"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, 2/14/26

"The Great Rip Off - 

Homes, Cars & Your Money"

"In today’s episode of I Allegedly, we break down how everyday Americans are getting ripped off from every direction. From a California homeowner losing a $1.5 million property to sophisticated fraud, to double-escrow scams that funded two fake loans on the same condo, the system is being exploited in ways most people never imagined. We also cover a Colorado dealership that sold 48 vehicles without proper titles, leaving buyers stuck with cars they legally can’t drive. These aren’t isolated cases - they’re warning signs. Meanwhile, inflation may be “cooling” on paper, but try buying groceries, meat, or a combo meal and tell me things are affordable. Cable companies are bleeding customers, people are cutting back everywhere, and even privacy is disappearing with AI traffic cameras scanning inside your vehicle. The question is simple: are we being protected - or are we being played? Watch this before you make your next financial decision"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"It's Getting Ugly Fast! Debt Defaults are Surging"

Full screen recommended.

Michael Bordenaro, 2/14/26

"It's Getting Ugly Fast! Debt Defaults are Surging"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Iran Feeling Its Oats"

"Iran Feeling Its Oats"

by William Schryver

"Former UK ambassador and intelligence officer Alastair Crooke, on Geopolitika, writes as follows: "Over the past two weeks, two important messages were conveyed to Iran, both of which were rejected. One came from the U.S. and the other from Israel. The former was: “We [the U.S.] will carry out a limited attack and you should accept it; or at least, give only a symbolic response.” Tehran rejected this request, saying that it would consider any attack to mark the beginning of a full-scale war.

Israel’s message, delivered through one of the various mediators, was: “We will not participate in the American attack.” It asked Iran therefore, to not target Israel. This request also met with a negative response, together with the explicit clarification that were the U.S. to commence military action, Israel would be immediately attacked. In parallel, Iran informed all states in the region that any attack launched from their territory or airspace, would result in an Iranian attack on whomsoever facilitated such U.S. military action."

These reports are actually quite astounding, for not only do they parallel perfectly what happened in the final 48 hours of the 12-Day War, but they reveal a profound degree of self-doubt and hesitation percolating in Washington and Tel Aviv. The Pentagon and the Israel Defense Forces are coming face to face with something I have been shouting from the house tops for several years now: There are no easy wars left to fight.

And, contrary to the perceptions of most Americans and others around the world, making war against Iran in its own backyard here in 2026 is all but certain to produce disastrous results for both the US and Israel - and has pronounced potential to spark a regional war, spiral out of control, and ultimately draw in Russia, China, and North Korea.

In any case, it must be understood that, in firmly rejecting US/Israel demands, Iran is effectively dictating terms - and this strongly confirms what many of us have argued since last summer: Iran was the clear winner of the 12-Day War. Israel knows it, the US knows it, and Iran knows it. If the reports above are more or less accurate, then it is undeniably evident that Washington is angling for an exit from this march to madness.

But, given that the Iranians are now dictating the terms of that exit and will not agree to a reprise of the orchestrated Operation Midnight Hammer, and its fictitious B-2 bunker-busting strike, and given the massive concentration of American military power in the region, and given the huge investment in menacing bravado Trump has already made in this ill-conceived adventure, war may now be unavoidable."

- https://imetatronink.substack.com/

"A Cross Of Iron..."

"Alert!: Nuclear Strike Carrier on Move, 600 Warplanes, 150 Cargo Planes, THAAD! Total War Brewing!"

Full screen recommended.

Prepper News, 2/13/26

"Alert!: Nuclear Strike Carrier on Move, 600 Warplanes,

 150 Cargo Planes, THAAD! Total War Brewing!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

A comment: One Iranian hypersonic missile, with a range of 11,000 miles and travelling at 17,000 MPH, tracked, targeted and precisely guided by Russian and Chinese advanced surveillance satellites, would destroy the flight deck of this carrier - nothing could take off or land, rendering this a defenselessly floating sitting-duck bullseye for an Iranian missile swarm which will rapidly sink it. There is no defense against this, and nowhere to hide...

Judge Napolitano, "INTEL Roundtable w/Johnson & McGovern: Weekly Wrap 13-Feb. (Fri. the 13th!)"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 2/13/26

"INTEL Roundtable w/Johnson & McGovern: 

Weekly Wrap 13-Feb. (Fri. the 13th!)"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

"Larry C. Johnson & Col. Larry Wilkerson, 2/13/26

"Russia + Iran + China: 

War Shield That Changes the World"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Danny Haiphong, 2/13/26

"Alexander Mercouris: Iran & Russia Flip 

Trump's War Ultimatum into Stunning Victory"

"Alexander Mercouris of The Duran joined the show to discuss the bunker buster bombshell dropped by Iran and how both reverse engineering of this weapon and the conflict between the surging Iran-Russia partnership and the Trump administration has already led to massive losses set to get worse."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Money Over History, 2/13/26

"Iran's Trap: America’s New 

$13 Billion Carrier Was a Huge Mistake"

"America’s $13 Billion Mistake in the Middle East could cost the world $200 per barrel in oil. The USS Gerald Ford has been deployed, but is it walking into Iran’s trap in the Strait of Hormuz? In this video, we break down the hidden financial war behind the military buildup. While the world watches the aircraft carriers, a silent economic weapon is being loaded that could crash the global economy. Is the US Navy ready for a conflict where missiles aren't the only threat? We analyze the potential blockade, the impact on oil prices, and why this deployment might be a historic blunder."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: Yanni, “For All Seasons”

Full screen recommended.

Yanni, “For All Seasons”

"A Look to the Heavens"

“Scanning the skies for galaxies, Canadian astronomer Paul Hickson and colleagues identified some 100 compact groups of galaxies, now appropriately called Hickson Compact Groups. The four prominent galaxies seen in this intriguing telescopic skyscape are one such group, Hickson 44, about 100 million light-years distant toward the constellation Leo. The two spiral galaxies in the center of the image are edge-on NGC 3190 with its distinctive, warped dust lanes, and S-shaped NGC 3187. Along with the bright elliptical, NGC 3193 at the right, they are also known as Arp 316. 

The spiral in the upper left corner is NGC 3185, the 4th member of the Hickson group. Like other galaxies in Hickson groups, these show signs of distortion and enhanced star formation, evidence of a gravitational tug of war that will eventually result in galaxy mergers on a cosmic timescale. The merger process is now understood to be a normal part of the evolution of galaxies, including our own Milky Way. For scale, NGC 3190 is about 75,000 light-years across at the estimated distance of Hickson 44.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110829.html

The Poet: Mary Oliver, “I Worried”

“I Worried”

“ I worried a lot. Will the garden grow,

will the rivers flow in the right direction,

will the earth turn as it was taught,

and if not how shall I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,

can I do better?

Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows

can do it and I am, well, hopeless.

Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,

am I going to get rheumatism, lockjaw, dementia?

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.

And gave it up. And took my old body

and went out into the morning, and sang.”

- Mary Oliver

"We Are Mortals All..."

"We are mortals all, human and nonhuman, bound in one fellowship of love and travail. No one escapes the fate of death. But we can, with caring, make our good-byes less tormented. If we broaden the circle of our compassion, life can be less cruel."

- Gary Kowalski

"Heaven And Hell"

“Many people don’t fear a hell after this life and that’s because hell is on this earth, in this life. In this life there are many forms of hell that people walk through, sometimes for a day, sometimes for years, sometimes it doesn’t end. The kind of hell that doesn’t burn your skin; but burns your soul. The kind of hell that people can’t see; but the flames lap at your spirit. Heaven is a place on earth, too! It’s where you feel freedom, where you’re not afraid. No more chains. And you hear your soul laughing.”

- C. JoyBell C.

o

John Milton, 

"Paradise Lost: Book 1" (1674 version)

o

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”

- William Shakespeare, "The Tempest"

"13th Warrior, Prayers Before Final Battle"

Full screen recommended.

"13th Warrior, Prayers Before Final Battle"

"In the movie "The 13th Warrior" Antonio Banderas' character, an Arab Muslim, delivered a prayer just before an epic battle that has stuck with me ever since. Some of the words in that prayer are words that have inspired me to say and do and think some of the things that I have since I walked out of the theater on the night that I saw that movie. This prayer, although delivered by a Muslim rather than Christian character, has become part of me. The words are beautiful and simple and eloquent:

"Merciful Father... I have squandered my days with plans of many things. This was not among them. But at this moment, I beg only to live the next few minutes well. For all we ought to have thought and have not thought, all we ought to have said and have not said, all we ought to have done and have not done, I pray thee, God, for forgiveness."

Of course if you think about it this prayer also spawns thoughts to the inverse of the lines used; i.e. Father forgive me for the things that I/we have thought that I ought not have thought, for the things I have said, that I ought not have said, for things I have done that I ought not have done.

Then brave Buliwyf begins to pray, also, to his many pagan gods and to his ancestors, and is joined by all the members of his band:

Buliwyf: "Lo, there do I see my father."

Herger: "Lo, there do I see My mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. Lo, there do I see The line of my people..."

Edgtho: "Back to the beginning."

Weath: "Lo, they do call to me."

Fahdlan: "They bid me take my place among them."

Buliwyf: "In the halls of Valhalla..."

Fahdlan: "Where the brave..."

Herger: "May live..."

Ahmed: "...forever."

- https://thewonderreflex.blogspot.com/

"17 Words that Changed My Life Forever"

"17 Words that Changed My Life Forever"

by Jerry Clark

“I remember several years back I heard something that changed my life forever. Up until that point I had been struggling through life – doing everything the hard way. I couldn’t figure out why my life wasn’t going the way I felt it should be. I saw some people going through life effortlessly and seemingly with less tension and frustration while I was wondering if I could ever straighten out the mess my life had turned out to be. I was behind on my dreams, my promises, and my bills. Then one day I was listening to a tape and the lady was talking about the power of having dreams and goals and all of the other stuff that those motivational speakers talk about. By that point I had listened to hundreds of such tapes, but it seemed as if nothing worked for me.

Probably the only reason I was listening to that one was because I had developed a habit of listening to cassette tapes while driving my car. The statement the lady said was simple and I think I had even heard it somewhere before but this time a light bulb went on in my head. I remember stopping the tape and rewinding it over and over again to hear the 17 words she said. I couldn’t believe it was so basic and simple. I was looking for something sophisticated and complicated. I thought I had to attend a $10,000 seminar. I didn’t know I could find it on a $10 tape program.

I’m taking the time to tell you all of this preliminary information because when I tell you the 17 words, I really want you to get it and get it NOW! Because if you get it NOW, your life will never be the same. You will be using the same principle that all who have became wealthy before you have used. Even those who became wealthy and can’t tell you how they did use this same principle without even being aware of what they are doing. Well, are you ready for the 17 words that made a powerful and positive impact on my life and on the life of tens of thousands of individuals who have achieved unimaginable success? Of course you are… Well, here they are…

For things to change, you must get a

picture of what you want them to change to.

Yes, it’s as simple as it sounds and as easy as it seems… Don’t try to make it any complicated than this because it will only frustrate you.

You must know exactly what you want and the more specific and clear you can get, the better. This is important because Human Beings are Teleological in nature… In other words, we move towards the pictures we constantly hold in our minds. Let me give you an example… Suppose you went to the store and bought a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle but it didn’t have a picture on the box of what the end result should look like.

Would you have a much harder time putting the picture together? Of course. You may eventually figure it out; however, the person who has a clear picture of what the end result should look like will be more than 100 times ahead of you. The question is are they 100 times ahead of you because their IQ is 100 times greater? Is it because they are 100 times better looking than you? Maybe it’s because they live 100 times closer to the person who created the puzzle? Ohh, I know – they were one of the first students to take the Evelyn Woods mind-expanding speed-reading and comprehension course right? If none of this is true then what is?

Yes, the person who had the clear and specific picture of what the outcome was supposed to be was simply operating in accordance to how our brain works. It moves towards the pictures we hold in our mind. It’s interesting because once you know exactly what it is you are moving towards, you seem to automatically know the steps to take or the necessary steps will soon become noticeable.

Your brain's subconscious mind, operating similar to a magnet, will start to attract in your direction the conditions, people, and circumstances that will help you move closer to the mental picture you maintain in your mind and it will repel all of those things that do not correlate to the picture you have in your mind. Therefore, the people who are clear and specific about what they want are using the powers of the Universe to assist them. This is, indeed, an awesome power. A person who knows how and uses this awesome power of the Universe to his or her advantage is a person who is working smart. A person who struggles every day trying to move closer to the success that they have no idea how it’s supposed to look is a person who is working hard.

Based on your observations over the years, do you think that most people are working hard or working smart? People who just work hard day in and day out without a clear picture of what they are moving towards are about as exciting as a tulip. Even though they may seem to be willing to work hard and put in the hours, they don’t seem to have much life in them. And people want to follow people who seem to have some life in them. If they want to find people who don’t seem to have much life in them, all they have to do is go to their job. People will follow people who look like they know where they are going and look like they are excited about the journey.

You must understand that your strength comes from knowing what you want. This will ignite the fire inside of you and enable you to borrow from the promise of the future so you can engage in the activities today that will move you closer and closer to what you want. It will enable you to go through the trials and tribulations that may be necessary so you can arrive at your destination. But remember the journey will be more important than the destination because in the journey you will become the person you require to become to finally arrive at your destination. So when you reach your destination, look at the person you have become and set a new destination so you can continue to grow and develop.

Whatever you do, just always remember that for things to change, you must get a picture of what you want them to change to. These are the "17 Words that Changed My Life Forever"… why not allow them to change yours too?”

- http://prorev.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

San Jose, California, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"10 States Collapsing Fastest in America Due to Poverty and Homelessness Crisis"

Full screen recommended.

Across The States, 2/13/26

"10 States Collapsing Fastest in America 

Due to Poverty and Homelessness Crisis"

"America’s crisis is accelerating - and the *U.S. states collapsing fastest* aren’t always the ones people expect. This video breaks down where poverty, housing pressure, and job losses are hitting hardest right now. Here’s the thing - the story isn’t just about rising rent or inflation. It’s about how everyday life is quietly getting harder in certain states, from shrinking local businesses to families being forced to move again and again just to stay afloat. You’ll see which regions are losing residents, where homelessness is growing fastest, and why some local economies are struggling to recover at all. What most people miss is how hidden pressures like medical costs, insurance spikes, and student debt are speeding up the decline. We also look at how rural towns and smaller cities are being affected differently than big metro areas. The reality is simple: this isn’t politics - it’s about people trying to survive changing conditions. This video reflects publicly available data and real-world trends, not individual financial advice."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Millions Can't Afford Rent So They're Living In Sheds And Storage Units"

Full screen recommended.

Across The States, 2/13/26

"Millions Can't Afford Rent So 

They're Living In Sheds And Storage Units"

"Rent has gotten so high that millions of working Americans are now living in storage units, sheds, cars, and RVs just to survive. This isn't about bad choices - it's about housing costs rising faster than paychecks can keep up. In this video, we break down how rent went from affordable to impossible in just a few years. Studio apartments that used to cost $800 now go for $1,800. Mobile homes sell for over $250,000. Even storage units rent for $200 a month. Meanwhile, wages barely moved. We look at the real data behind America's housing crisis and why so many full-time workers, seniors, veterans, and families can no longer afford a place to live. The system wasn't designed for this. The math just doesn't work anymore. If you've noticed rent getting out of control or know someone struggling to stay housed, this video explains what's really happening and why it's only getting harder."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

A Homestead Journey, 2/13/26

"No One Wants to Admit 

How Bad It’s Getting in America"

"Americans are working harder than ever, yet falling further behind. Between rising bills, job losses, and record inflation, millions of people are realizing that the American Dream is slipping away. Families are drowning in debt, struggling to afford groceries, rent, and basic necessities as the cost of living crisis deepens across the country. In this video, we’ll talk about why so many Americans are going broke, how inflation and corporate greed are destroying the middle class, and what’s really happening behind the economic headlines in 2026. From layoffs to skyrocketing utility costs, we’ll uncover the harsh truth about how the system is stacked against everyday people - and what you can do to prepare and protect yourself from what’s coming next. If you’ve been feeling the pressure of rising prices, mounting debt, and uncertainty about your job or finances, you’re not alone. This is happening everywhere, and it’s only getting worse. It’s time to face the reality of where America is headed and start taking steps toward true financial preparedness and self-reliance."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"The Biggest Housing Bubble In The Entire History Of The United States Is In The Process Of Bursting"

by Michael Snyder

"The housing bubble that burst during the Great Recession was enormous, but it was nothing compared to what we are facing now. Two decades ago, the average price of a home in the United States was about $140,000. Today, the average price of a home in the United States is above $500,000. We have literally never seen anything even close to a housing bubble of this magnitude. Unfortunately, what comes up must eventually come down.

Just like we witnessed during the Great Recession, home sales have started to crash. In January, sales of previously owned homes were 8.4 percent lower than they were in December…"Sales of previously owned homes in January dropped a much wider-than-expected 8.4% from December to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 3.91 million, according to the NAR. Sales were 4.4% lower than January 2025. That is the slowest pace since December 2023 and the biggest monthly drop since February 2022.

This count is based on closings, so contracts that were likely signed in November and December, when the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage didn’t move much before dropping slightly in January. That rate is now 6.1%, according to Mortgage News Daily."

Regionally, sales fell across the nation month to month but were down the most in the South and West. Sales of previously owned homes have been at a depressed level for years, and now things are getting even worse. It is a really bad time to be a real estate agent in America. So many really good agents are deeply struggling right now.

One of the primary reasons why home sales are so low is because home prices are way too high. Over a 20 year period, the average price of a home in the United States increased from about $140,000 to more than $503,000… While there have been periods of rising and falling home values, the end result is this: In the past 20 years, the average home price in the U.S. has grown from about $140,000 to about $503,800 as of 2025. That is what a bubble looks like.

If you can believe it, the median value of a home in Montana grew by two-thirds in just four years…"Montana’s typical home value has increased by two-thirds in four years, according to new valuations published this month by the Montana Department of Revenue. The department estimates that the median residential property in Montana was worth $378,000 as of the beginning of last year. Four years previously, before the state housing market blew up during the COVID-19 pandemic, the median value was $228,000 - meaning values have increased 66%."

What we have witnessed this decade has been absolutely insane. As a result, 64 percent of all single Americans are now struggling to make their monthly rent or mortgage payments…"Nearly two-thirds (64%) of single people struggle to afford their regular rent or mortgage payments, compared with 39% of married people, according to a recent Redfin survey conducted by Ipsos. These survey results in this report are from a Redfin survey conducted by Ipsos in November 2025, fielded to 4,000 U.S. residents. We consider survey respondents to struggle with housing payments if they selected “I struggle greatly to afford them,” “I regularly struggle, but sometimes okay,” or “I sometimes struggle, but generally okay.”

This state of affairs couldn’t persist indefinitely. It was just a matter of time before something started to give, and now we are being told that home prices are falling in 26 of the 50 largest metro areas in the United States…The sales slump comes as home prices are now falling in 26 of the country’s 50 biggest metro areas, according to recent report from Realtor.com.

This reminds me so much of what we experienced just before the crash of 2008. And as I discussed yesterday, last month the number of foreclosure filings was 32 percent higher than it was during the same month one year earlier…"With the number of Americans losing their homes to banks rising for an eleventh straight month, it’s clear the housing crisis is getting worse rather than better. US foreclosure activity jumped again in January 2026, with a total of 40,534 properties facing foreclosure filings – a 32 percent increase from the same time last year. Foreclosure filings cover every stage of the process, from the moment a lender issues a legal warning to the point a home is formally seized after missed mortgage payments."

Do you remember what happened the last time that foreclosures spiked dramatically? It is starting to happen all over again. Every economic bubble bursts eventually. Sadly, we live at a time when multiple bubbles appear to be bursting simultaneously.

Former U.S. Representative Ron Paul is warning that the entire system is on the verge of collapsing…"Former Texas Representative Ron Paul said the U.S. economic order rests on “fraud” rooted in the 1971 break from gold and warned that the current system is nearing its end, in a wide-ranging 90th-birthday interview on The Tucker Carlson Podcast released Thursday. Paul, a Republican-turned-Libertarian-turned-Republican, tied his warning to the end of dollar convertibility into gold under President Richard Nixon, calling it the nation’s “first declaration of bankruptcy,” and argued that persistent money printing and deficits have created a brittle order primed for a severe correction."

In 1971, the median price of a home in the United States was $25,200. In those days, just about anyone that was willing to work hard could afford a home. At the end of 1971, the U.S. national debt was sitting at 398 billion dollars. Now it is sitting at 38.5 trillion dollars. Do you understand what that means? The size of our national debt will soon be 100 times larger than it was in 1971. Just think about that for a moment.

We really are in the end game. We have destroyed the value of our currency and we are absolutely drowning in debt. Now the economic bubbles that we have inflated are starting to burst all around us, and the days ahead are going to be filled with a tremendous amount of pain."

- https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com

Dan, I Allegedly, "The Great Cutback Has Begun!"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, 2/13/26

"The Great Cutback Has Begun!"

"Why are billionaires cutting expenses right now? Why are major corporations laying off thousands of workers, closing plants, and selling properties at massive discounts? In today’s video, we break down the growing signs of economic slowdown — from struggling municipalities and foreclosure auctions to massive job cuts at global companies and declining consumer spending. When even the wealthiest households start tightening their budgets, it’s a signal that something bigger may be coming. We also cover rising household debt, shrinking profit margins, streaming shutdowns, auto plant closures, premium brands losing customers, and what this means for everyday Americans. If you’re concerned about layoffs, inflation, debt-to-income ratios, or protecting your financial future, this is a must-watch breakdown of the economic warning signs happening right now. "

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Most People..."

"Most people are good and occasionally do something they know is bad. Some people are bad and struggle every day to keep it under control. Others are corrupt to the core and don't give a damn, as long as they don't get caught. But evil is a completely different creature. Evil is bad that believes it's good." 

- Karen Marie Moning

"How It Really Is"

 

"Friday The 13th"

"Friday The 13th"

by History.com

"Long considered a harbinger of bad luck, Friday the 13th has inspired a late 19th-century secret society, an early 20th-century novel, a horror film franchise and not one but two unwieldy terms - paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia - that describe fear of this supposedly unlucky day.

The Fear of 13: Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people hold fast to the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. Though it’s uncertain exactly when this particular tradition began, negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries.

While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with completeness (there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus and 12 tribes of Israel, just to name a few examples), its successor 13 has a long history as a sign of bad luck.

The ancient Code of Hammurabi, for example, reportedly omitted a 13th law from its list of legal rules. Though this was probably a clerical error, superstitious people sometimes point to this as proof of 13’s longstanding negative associations. Fear of the number 13 has even earned a psychological term: triskaidekaphobia.

Why is Friday the 13th Unlucky? According to biblical tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles (one of whom, Judas, betrayed him). The next day, of course, was Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. The seating arrangement at the Last Supper is believed to have given rise to a longstanding Christian superstition that having 13 guests at a table was a bad omen - specifically, that it was courting death.

Though Friday’s negative associations are weaker, some have suggested they also have roots in Christian tradition: Just as Jesus was crucified on a Friday, Friday was also said to be the day Eve gave Adam the fateful apple from the Tree of Knowledge, as well as the day Cain killed his brother, Abel.

The Thirteen Club: In the late-19th century, a New Yorker named Captain William Fowler (1827-1897) sought to remove the enduring stigma surrounding the number 13 - and particularly the unwritten rule about not having 13 guests at a dinner table - by founding an exclusive society called the Thirteen Club.

The group dined regularly on the 13th day of the month in room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage, a popular watering hole Fowler owned from 1863 to 1883. Before sitting down for a 13-course dinner, members would pass beneath a ladder and a banner reading “Morituri te Salutamus,” Latin for “Those of us who are about to die salute you.” Four former U.S. presidents (Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison and Theodore Roosevelt) would join the Thirteen Club’s ranks at one time or another.

Friday the 13th in Pop Culture: An important milestone in the history of the Friday the 13th legend in particular (not just the number 13) occurred in 1907, with the publication of the novel "Friday, the Thirteenth" written by Thomas William Lawson. The book told the story of a New York City stockbroker who plays on superstitions about the date to create chaos on Wall Street, and make a killing on the market.

The horror movie "Friday the 13th", released in 1980, introduced the world to a hockey mask-wearing killer named Jason, and is perhaps the best-known example of the famous superstition in pop culture history. The movie spawned multiple sequels, as well as comic books, novellas, video games, related merchandise and countless terrifying Halloween costumes.

What Bad Things Happened on Friday 13th? On Friday, October 13, 1307, officers of King Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar, a powerful religious and military order formed in the 12th century for the defense of the Holy Land. Imprisoned on charges of various illegal behaviors (but really because the king wanted access to their financial resources), many Templars were later executed. Some cite the link with the Templars as the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition, but like many legends involving the Templars and their history, the truth remains murky.

In more recent times, a number of traumatic events have occurred on Friday the 13th, including the German bombing of Buckingham Palace (September 1940); the murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York (March 1964); a cyclone that killed more than 300,000 people in Bangladesh (November 1970); the disappearance of a Chilean Air Force plane in the Andes (October 1972); the death of rapper Tupac Shakur (September 1996) and the crash of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy, which killed 30 people (January 2012)."

- https://www.history.com/t

Adventures With Danno, "Shocking Good Prices At Aldi"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 2/13/26

"Shocking Good Prices At Aldi"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Jim Kunstler, "Sure, Take That Time-Out"

"Sure, Take That Time-Out"

by Jim Kunstler

“Crisis is when brittleness meets shock.“

- Yuri Bezmenov’s Ghost on X

"By shutting down the government for a minimum of ten days supposedly over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Wile E. Coyote Democratic Party is about to blow up another Acme bomb in its mangy muzzle. I will tell you why. First, this DHS business is just a stupid prank to bamboozle the public. It will not shut down ICE operations, as Chuck Schumer pretends. ICE was already funded with $75-billion in last year’s Big Beautiful Bill. The shutdown will only defund the Coast Guard and airport security. (Does that sound smart?)

Second, senators will be leaving the DC swamp and going home to their states where, it turns out, polls show that voters of both parties combined overwhelmingly favor election reform by 84-percent. The House has passed the SAVE Act onto the Senate for action, up or down. For at least ten days of the shutdown, the senators will have to explain why proving that you are a citizen to vote is a bad idea - or conversely, why allowing non-citizens to vote is a good idea. So, thanks, Democrats, for sending the senators home to face their voters.

Eventually, senators will have to return to the US Capitol and take up the SAVE Act. The act will require proof of citizenship to register, photo ID to vote in person and for requesting an absentee ballot. The bill would prohibit universal mail-in voting, require absentee ballots be received by election day, impose a five-year prison sentence for helping anyone to register without correct documents, and provisions to clean up the states’ voter rolls.

Additional legislation still in the House, introduced by Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), would provide for Election Day only in-person voting by paper ballots, and yet other bills awaiting action would eliminate electronic vote-tallying machines. All the provisions above are common in most other civilized nations (and even a few that are not, such as Afghanistan). The Democratic Party is against all of it because they can only win national elections by deceit and chicanery.

When Senators return to DC, they will have to overcome the filibuster in its current mode, which is the silent or so-called “zombie” filibuster. You see, in the old days, before 1972, if senators wanted to filibuster, they had to actually hold the Senate floor and keep talking - bringing all Senate business to a complete halt until either they gave up or the majority could gather enough votes for cloture (ending debate). It was physically very hard on the senators, an ordeal, and to get through the hours of mindless blather, they would read the phone book, or the World Almanac, or a Sunday newspaper from page one to the obituaries, which subjected them to ridicule.

After 1972, the Senate introduced what they called “the two-track” system, which allowed the body to move on to other business under a filibuster, without requiring a member to stand and speak. All that was needed was for a senator to inform the leadership that he intended to block a vote, with the backing of 40 other senators. This led to a dramatic increase in the use of filibusters - transforming them from a rare, physically demanding gambit into a routine procedural threat.

Now, the catch is that this change in procedure was never formally voted on. Going from “talking” filibusters to “silent” filibusters didn’t happen through a deliberate decision by the full Senate to change the rules - it emerged in 1972 from a procedural workaround that then Majority Leader Mike Mansfield introduced. It’s just a custom masquerading as a rule, and one that now Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) could declare null and void.

Doing so would bring back the old talking filibuster. Opponents of a given bill, such as the SAVE Act, would have to step into the well of Senate and offer arguments against election reform, or they could read through the Chicago phone book. In either case, they’d expose themselves to ridicule. Perhaps those ten days at home during the present government shutdown will lead to an attitude change.

If that doesn’t do it, consider that sometime in the weeks and months ahead, you will be seeing some results from the seizure of the Fulton County, GA, 2020 voting records that took place in January. Since the FBI went in there on a warrant - meaning a judge saw probable cause of voter fraud - the country will likely be exposed to real evidence, for the first time, that one crucial swing state ran a corrupt election operation, and it will no longer be possible for the Democrats to yell that such claims are “baseless” or “debunked.”

It’s an astonishing sign of cultural decay that we are even arguing over election reform at this point. The measures introduced during the dastardly Covid-19 trip - unlimited mail-in balloting, organized “ballot harvesting,” counting ballots for weeks after Election Day, doing so with Dominion / Smartmatic machines connectable to the Internet, and ignoring chain-of-custody requirements - these operations were patently and obviously dishonest. That’s what got you four years of “Joe Biden,” a walking-talking lie. Is there anything that the Democratic Party doesn’t lie about? I’ll wait for your answer."

- https://www.kunstler.com/

Bill Bonner, "Paper Privilege"

Click image for larger size.

The US is on pace to run another $2 trillion annual deficit, one third of 

the way through the fiscal year. Source: Monthly Statement of the US Treasury

"Paper Privilege"

by Bill Bonner

Normandy, France - "First, what’s this? Barron’s reports: "Federal deficit shrinks for the fourth straight month. The gap between government revenue and spending has narrowed for four straight months, helped by President Donald Trump’s tariffs and major cuts in spending on education and other departments. Data disclosed Wednesday by the Treasury Department showed the federal government spent $30 billion more in January than it brought in. That compares with the gap of $82 billion notched in January 2025."

The Trump cheerleaders on Fox news this morning were positively in Rapture. The latest growth and employment numbers suggest that “this could be a very good year,” said Larry Kudlow. “Growth,” they all agreed, will surprise everyone.

The voters may be in a gloomy mood now, the Fox finance team admits, but ‘everything will change’ as soon as Kevin Warsh opens his mouth in his confirmation hearings before the Senate Finance committee. He’ll explain that ‘growth’ changes the picture dramatically...and that he will cut interest rates to give growth a leg up. ‘Don’t worry about inflation,’ he’ll add. ‘Greater output will take care of that.’

And so, to win the mid-term elections...“All they have to do is to get the word out,” they chanted. As always, however, ‘the word’ is more ambiguous than Fox News pretends. Next week, we’ll listen to it more carefully.

Today, let’s keep our eye on the golden ball. The South China Morning Post reports: "China wants its banks to hold fewer US Treasuries. China is urging its biggest banks to curb their exposure to US Treasuries, a calculated intervention in the plumbing of global finance that reveals something uncomfortable about where Asia believes risk now sits. Chinese regulators have instructed large banks to stop adding to already heavy positions in US government debt and to reduce exposure where it has become excessive.

This is the problem that the new man at the Fed, Warsh, will face. Even with improving monthly deficits, he’ll have about $10 trillion in debt to finance or roll over in the next twelve months. And he’ll have fewer people who want it to roll over on them. Gussied up in the mumbo jumbo of modern economics, Warsh can say whatever he wants. But it hardly matters. He’s playing the cards dealt him by History. US debt is rising. Confidence in the dollar is falling. Where did these cards come from?

The post-WWII rules-based orders put rules on money too. The US broke them in two important ruptures. To keep the chronology straight, first, the US reneged on its promise to exchange dollars for gold in August of 1971. Thereafter, dollars were still the world’s reserve currency, but nobody had any guarantee that they would remain limited and valuable.

As one might have expected, the quantity of dollars - via fractional reserve banking -  did increase, relative to supply of goods and services they could buy. As we saw yesterday, an F-150 was $1,200 in 1971. It’s $40,000 today. An average house, meanwhile, was $28,000 in 1971. Now, it’s $460,000. The average wage this year is about $33 an hour, compared to just $4 an hour 55 years ago.

It might have been worse. Even with these huge price increases at home, the US was exporting much of its inflation overseas. That was the “exorbitant privilege” that Giscard d’Estaing noticed. Foreigners took US IOUs and never cashed them in. Instead, they put them in their vaults as ‘reserves.’

But for 70 years, the world took the rip-off with good grace. What it took less well was the second breach of the rules--turning the US money system into a hammer. Beginning in the Biden Administration, the world realized that the US would use its control of the dollar system to whack foreign countries, often for what seemed like fickle or unreasonable purposes. If the US disapproved of the foreigners’ policies, it would hit them with ‘sanctions.’ Or seize their assets. Or cut them off from the international banking system. Voice of America: "Biden Slaps 500 New Sanctions on Russia Over War, Navalny Death."

This was not the first time the US had used trade for foreign policy purposes. The Roosevelt Administration had cut off Japan from US exports, which - arguably - led to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But the Biden and Trump regimes took it to a whole new level. They removed any pretense of neutrality for the US money system. The dollar was no longer trustworthy. And thereby America gave up the exorbitant privilege of providing the world’s reserve money. What comes next? Stay tuned."

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/