"Is Donald Trump Looking for an Exit Ramp?"

"Is Donald Trump Looking for an Exit Ramp?"

by Larry C. Johnson

"The Israel/US decapitation strike on Saturday hit the Ayatollah Khamenei when he was reportedly meeting with senior Iranian military officers. Was the Israeli hit a lucky coincidence or was this a deliberately planned trap? Did the US send a message to Khamenei for a meeting to discuss a US proposal in preparation for the planned Monday meeting - now cancelled - in Geneva? Whatever brought these senior Iranian officials together, it has been a Pyrrhic victory for the West and its Zionist masters. Killing Khamenei did not inspire Iranian opponents of the Islamic Republic to flood the streets of Tehran and demand the ouster of the mullahs. Nope, the attack rallied the Iranian people to embrace without hesistation the continued rule of the mullahs.

If you listen to Donald Trump’s public words, he is making wild claims about US military successes in killing Iranians. However, there are new reports that suggest Trump is panicked and searching for a way to declare victory and exit the war. Donald Trump asked Italy to mediate or serve as a conduit for proposing an immediate ceasefire with Iran, following the recent US-Israeli military strikes on Iranian targets (including the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February 2026).

According to multiple media reports, US officials, through Italian mediation (likely involving Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government or channels), proposed a swift ceasefire to de-escalate tensions and potentially return to negotiations. This was framed as an attempt to end the military campaign quickly after initial strikes achieved key objectives (e.g., degrading leadership and capabilities).

Nice try Donald… You’ve pissed away any shred of credibility you have left. Iran told the US to fuck off. The US/Israeli assassination of the Ayatollah Khomenei was the final straw for Iran. They have zero interest in a ceasefire in my opinion. The Iranians realize that they are in a stronger position to bleed the US and Israel of scarce weapon systems and force the US into a humiliating retreat.

If the US was really on the cusp of a major defeat of Iran, which would entail a regime change in Tehran, do you believe that Donald Trump would be entertaining the idea of a ceasefire and a return to negotiations? Hell no. Trump has made a major strategic error by going along with Israel and trying to force a regime change by killing Iran’s spiritual father, along with more than 100 school girls.

Although Iran is suffering some significant losses, it also is inflicting equal, if not more, pain on Israel and the US. Besides destroying the US military infrastructure in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is going to cause significant economic harm to the Western financial order. I believe that Iran has an enormous reserve of ballistic and cruise missiles and will be able to sustain a campaign of attrition against both Israel and the US for at least two months. This is why Trump is now desperate to secure a ceasefire and try to put the toothpaste back in the tube. But Iran is having none of it.

I believe that by March 15, the US and Israel will be pleading - at least privately - for an end to the Iranian missile barrages. The death of Khamenei has removed a moderate from the Iranian chain of command. The agreement that Iranian authorities made on June 25, 2025 to end the missile attacks on Israel had the blessing of the Ayatollah. There were many in the IRGC leadership that opposed that decision, but they obeyed the decision of Khamenei. Now they have been vindicated. The US is not a trustworthy nor reliable negotiating partner. I believe the campaign will only conclude when Israel agrees to remove its forces from Gaza and the West Bank… Otherwise, Iran will continue to pummel and shred Israel’s economic, scientific and military infrastructure. Oh, and one more thing, all economic sanctions against Iran must be lifted.

Trump’s 2024 campaign promises about securing peace will haunt him for the remainder of his term… Many of his MAGA supporters will not forgive him for his perfidy. During Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, he repeatedly emphasized his opposition to “endless wars” (also called “forever wars” or “never-ending wars”) and positioned himself as the candidate who would avoid new military entanglements abroad, focusing instead on “America First” priorities and peace through strength.

During the 2024 campaign, Trump frequently contrasted himself with his Democratic opponent (Kamala Harris), calling her “the candidate of endless wars” while declaring himself “the candidate of peace.” He boasted that during his first term, he was “the first president in modern times to start no new wars,” a line he used prominently at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in July 2024, where he said his foreign policy would “bring stability to the world.” In various rallies (e.g., Iowa caucuses lead-up in January 2024), he promised to “turn the page forever on those foolish, stupid days of never-ending wars” and criticized past administrations for prolonged conflicts that drained U.S. resources. A signature phrase he repeated: “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.” This appeared in multiple contexts, including victory speeches and attacks on opponents. In his November 2024 election victory speech, he reiterated: “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars,” tying it to redirecting resources toward domestic issues rather than foreign conflicts.

Trump has betrayed the people who, like me, foolishly believed in his bullshit. He has now launched a war that the US cannot win, and as the corpses of dead Americans killed in this needless, illegal war are delivered to Dover, Delaware, Trump’s popularity will plummet. I fully anticipate that he will be impeached and convicted before his term is up. He will have no one to blame but himself. He could have secured a deal with Iran that would have guaranteed that Iran would not acquire a nuclear weapon. Instead, he chose war and will wear that dead, stinking albatross around his neck for the remainder of his miserable term."

- https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/

"Scott Ritter: "Things are Terrible!" Iran's Secret Weapon Will Devastate Israel & U.S!"

A MUST-VIEW!

Global War Analysis, 3/1/26

"Scott Ritter: "Things are Terrible!" 

Iran's Secret Weapon Will Devastate Israel & U.S!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Alert! 4 Ships Hit! Market Shutdown! Total Chaos Unfolding, World War 3 Exploding!"

Prepper News, 3/1/26

"Alert! 4 Ships Hit! Market Shutdown! 

Total Chaos Unfolding, World War 3 Exploding!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Daniel Davis: U.S. Miscalculation - War Not Going as Planned"

Glenn Diesen, 3/1/26

"Daniel Davis: U.S. Miscalculation - 

War Not Going as Planned"

"Lt. Col. Daniel Davis is a 4x combat veteran, the recipient of the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling, and is the host of the Daniel Davis Deep Dive YouTube channel. After the second day of the war, Lt. Col. Davis discusses why the war against Iran is not going as planned and Iran has too many advantages."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Money Over History, 3/1/26

"$13B USS Abraham Lincoln Under Fire:

 Now Trump Wants Ceasefire"

"The $13 billion USS Abraham Lincoln came under fire in one of the most dramatic escalations in the Middle East conflict. As missiles targeted U.S. assets and tensions surged across the region, reports suggest the White House is now signaling interest in a ceasefire. Was this operation meant to be short and decisive? Why is Washington suddenly pushing for negotiations? And what does this mean for U.S. military power, oil markets, and the Strait of Hormuz?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: 2002, "The End Is a Beginning"

Full screen recommended.

2002, "The End Is a Beginning"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"Spiral galaxy NGC 4651 is a mere 35 million light-years distant, toward the well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. About 50 thousand light-years across, this galaxy is seen to have a faint umbrella-shaped structure (right) that seems to extend some 50 thousand light-years farther, beyond the bright galactic disk. The giant cosmic umbrella is now known to be composed of tidal star streams. The streams themselves are extensive trails of stars gravitationally stripped from a smaller satellite galaxy that was eventually torn apart.

Recent work by a remarkable collaboration of amateur and professional astronomers to image faint structures around bright galaxies suggests that even in nearby galaxies, such tidal star streams are common. The result is predicted by models of galaxy formation, including the formation of our Milky Way."

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100415.html

Chet Raymo, “Exile”

“Exile”

by Chet Raymo

   “ Are we truly alone
    With our physics and myths,
    The stars no more
    Than glittering dust,
    With no one there
    To hear our choral odes?”

“This is the ultimate question, the only question, asked here by the Northern Irish poet Derek Mahon. It is a poem of exile, from the ancient familiar, from the sustaining myth of rootedness, of centrality. A poem that the naturalist can relate to, we pilgrims of infinite spaces, of the overarching blank pages on which we write our own stories, our own scriptures, having none of divine pedigree.

Yes, we feel the ache of exile, we who grew up with the sustaining myths of immortality only to see them stripped away by the needy hands of fact. We scribble our choral odes. Who listens? We speak to each other. Is that enough? Having left the home we grew up in, we make do with where we find ourselves, gathering to ourselves the glittering dust of the here and now. Are we truly alone? Mahon again:

    “If so, we can start
    To ignore the silence
    Of infinite space
    And concentrate instead
    on the infinity
    Under our very noses -
    The cry at the heart
    Of the artichoke,
    The gaiety of atoms.”

Better to leave the blank page blank than fill it with sentimental hankerings for home, with those prayers of our childhood we repeated over and over until they became a hard, fast crust on the page. Incline our ear instead to the faint cry that issues from the world under our very noses, from there, the tomato plant on the window sill, the ink-dark crow that paces the grass beyond the panes, the clouds that heap on the horizon - the dizzy, ditzy dance of atoms and the glitterings of stars.”

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

"We Are..."

 

Paulo Coelho, "The Law of Jante"

"The Law of Jante"

by Paulo Coelho

"'The Law of Jante?' Of course I had never heard of this, so he explained what it was. I continued on my journey and discovered it is hard to find anyone in any of the Scandinavian countries who does not know this law. Although the law exists since the beginning of civilization, it was only officially declared in 1933 by writer Aksel Sandemose in the novel “A Refugee Goes Beyond Limits.”

The sad truth is that the Law of Jante is a rule applied in every country in the world, despite the fact that Brazilians say that “this only happens here,” and the French claim that “unfortunately, that’s how it is in our country.” Now, the reader must be annoyed because he/she is already half way through the column and still does not know what the Law of Jante is all about, so I’ll try to explain it here briefly in my own words:

“You aren’t worth a thing, nobody is interested in what you think,

mediocrity and anonymity are your best bet.

If you act this way, you will never have any big problems in life.”

The Law of Jante focuses on the feeling of jealousy and envy that sometimes causes so much trouble for people. This is one of its negative aspects, but there is something far more dangerous. And this law is accountable for the world being manipulated in all possible manners by people who have no fear of what the others say and end up practicing the evil they desire. We have just witnessed a useless war in Iraq, which is still costing many lives; we see a huge abyss between the rich and the poor countries of the world, social injustice on all sides, unbridled violence, people being forced to give up their dreams because of unfair and cowardly attacks. Before starting the second world war, Hitler sent out several signals as to his intentions, and what encouraged him to go ahead was the knowledge that nobody would dare to defy him because of the Law of Jante.

Mediocrity may be comfortable, up to the day that tragedy knocks at the door and people start to wonder, “But why did nobody say anything, if everybody could see that this was going to happen?” Simple: nobody said anything because the others did not say anything either. So in order to prevent things from growing any worse, maybe this is the right moment to write the anti-Law of Jante:

“You are worth far more than you think. Your work and presence

 on this Earth are important, even though you may not think so." 

Of course, thinking in this way, you might have many problems because you are breaking the Law of Jante – but don’t feel intimidated by them, go on living without fear and in the end you will win.”

- http://paulocoelhoblog.com/

"An Old Cherokee Proverb"

"An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

"A Cherokee Proverb"

“Now Is the Time of Monsters”

“Now Is the Time of Monsters”

by Jeff Thomas

“In ancient Rome, interregnum was the term given to the period between stable governments when anything untoward might occur, and sometimes did – civil unrest, warfare between warlords, power vacuums and, finally, succession wars. But eventually the dust would settle and the victors, whoever they might be, would at some point restabilize the empire, often with a new map, showing the latest lines of geographic possession.

In 1929, the Italian Antonio Gramsci was in a fascist prison, writing about what he considered to be a new interregnum – a Europe that was tearing itself apart. He anticipated civil unrest, war between nations and repeated changes in the lines of geographic possession. At that time, he was attributed as saying, “The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.”

And, of course, looking back from our vantage point in the twenty-first century, we have no difficulty in confirming that he was correct in his prognosis. The world war that followed brought forward the worst traits in mankind. The sociopaths of the world came center-stage. By the time the dust had settled, tens of millions were dead.

What we do have difficulty with is recognizing that the same pattern is again with us. National leaders and their advisors are spoiling for war, building up weaponry, creating senseless proxy wars in other nations’ backyards and playing a dangerous game of “chicken” with other major powers. This will not end well. It never does. Once the shoving-match has begun, it only escalates. At some point, whether it’s the false-flag assassination of an Archduke, as in World War I, or the false flag invasion of Germany by Poland, as in World War II, we can always count on some excuse being created to justify diving headlong into war.

It’s also true that, when empires get into economic trouble that’s too far gone for any viable solution, a trick that’s always employed by political leaders to keep the citizens from removing them from their seats of power, is to start a war. A people will, if they believe their homeland is in peril, accept the “temporary” removal of their freedoms. Even in the United States, the famed “Land of the Free,” political leaders have routinely imprisoned dissidents in times of warfare. People tend to get behind their leaders in wartime, no matter how undeserved that loyalty might be.

And so, now is the time of monsters, as Mr. Gramsci rightly stated. A time of uncertainty, when countries are in turmoil and would-be leaders are jostling for power with existing leaders. An interregnum.

Troubled times tend to bring out all the crazies – all the sociopathic-types that would find it hard to succeed in stable, prosperous times. In such times, the average person becomes worried that things are not going to turn out well. That’s perfectly understandable. Unfortunately, most people lack both the imagination and the courage to cope with how the times are impacting their lives. They instead rely on others to provide a torch that might help them escape from the darkness. Not surprising then, that every snake-oil salesman in town sees an opportunity to offer big promises – promises that he has neither the ability nor the inclination to fulfill.

At such times, the people of a country tend to become polarized, placing their faith in one political party or another, hoping that their party will “make the bad stuff go away.” In the US we see, on the liberal side, promises for “free health care for all,” a guaranteed basic income, housing for those who cannot afford it, and an endless stream of promises that, if the government were to implement them all, they will not be able to pay for them, even with 100% taxation from those who presently pay tax.

On the conservative side, we see promises such as “Make America Great Again,” with tax rebates that do not rejuvenate the economy, breaks for firms that have expatriated, but do not fool them into returning, claims to cut budgets, only to increase them, and promises to eliminate debt, only to expand it.

We've seen presidential elections in which one of the two leading candidates is a textbook narcissist, whilst the other displays all the traits of senility. And we've seen a waitress elected to Congress by a substantial margin, raised to the status of heroine merely for promising all things to all people, whilst offering no plan as to how that might come about. Record numbers of candidates pour into the political arena, seeking a last grab at power prior to systemic failure.

To be fair, the US is by no means alone in delivering incapable people with nonsensical solutions to the higher offices. In the UK, each leading party states emphatically that the other party would be a disaster, yet neither party can come up with a working alternative. What they can do, as in America, is point fingers and shout invectives at each other.

In France, whilst the disconnected president essentially says, “Let them eat cake,” serving only to create further fury on the street. To be sure, the problem begins at the top. But it doesn’t end there. It sifts down to the proletariat, who, unable to come up with constructive solutions, create their own monsters, trashing the shops and burning the cars of people who had no hand in creating the problem.

But surely this is just a one-off phase, in which the best and brightest are temporarily pushed offstage, but will soon return, yes? Well, unfortunately, no. Historically, a period such as this one is followed by one of increased madness. Historically, the next step is societal breakdown. Riots, secessions and revolutions become commonplace, accompanied by economic collapse.

Out of these events come the worst monsters of all. It’s in the wake of such developments that the people of any country then turn away from those that made the empty promises and toward those who promise revenge against an ill-defined group who are characterized as having caused the problems. That’s when the Robespierres, the Lenins, the Hitlers – the greatest monsters – are swept into power. They invariably deliver the same message – that they’ll seek out the aristocracy, the gentry, the patricians, and strip them of their positions and possessions.

Invariably the way that this shakes out is not that the average man rises up, taking his “fair share” of the spoils. Instead, the leaders take the spoils and the proletariat are reduced to an equality of poverty. Our friend Mr. Gramsci found himself imprisoned by Benito Mussolini and died from illnesses incurred in prison. Unfortunately, his approach was to complain, but remain, as his country deteriorated around him. This proved, for him, to be the worst of choices. And, so it is today.”

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

St. James, Michigan, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

The Poet: Langston Hughes, "Life is Fine "

"Life is Fine"

"I went down to the river,

I set down on the bank.

I tried to think but couldn't,

So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!

I came up twice and cried!

If that water hadn't a-been so cold

I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator

Sixteen floors above the ground.

I thought about my baby,

And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!

I stood there and I cried!

If it hadn't a-been so high

I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',

I guess I will live on.

I could've died for love -

But for livin' I was born.

Though you may hear me holler,

And you may see me cry -

I'll be dogged, sweet baby,

If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!"

- Langston Hughes

Free Download: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Letters and Papers From Prison”

“The fact that the foolish person is often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that he is not independent. In conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with him as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the foolish person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings. “

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Letters and Papers From Prison”

Freely download "Letters and Papers From Prison, Prologue" 

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, here:

- https://ms.fortresspress.com/

"When One Cannot Be Sure..."

"When one cannot be sure that there are many days left, each single day becomes as important as a year, and one does not waste an hour in wishing that that hour were longer, but simply fills it, like a smaller cup, as high as it will go without spilling over."

- Natalie Kusz

How It Will Never Be"

That'll be the day! Read a book? God forbid!

"China Warned Iran - But Khamenei Still Died in 2.5 Hours"

A Shocking Must-View!

Full screen recommended.

Money Over History, 3/1/26

"China Warned Iran -

 But Khamenei Still Died in 2.5 Hours"

"China warned Iran hours before Khamenei was killed - yet the Supreme Leader still died in a decisive U.S.–Israeli strike, raising urgent questions about intelligence, betrayal, and global power dynamics. According to multiple reports, Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes aimed at dismantling Iran’s leadership. This video breaks down what went wrong, why China’s real-time warning failed to save him, and the implications for Iran’s internal security and international alliances with China and Russia. With Iran retaliating and world leaders reacting, the death of Khamenei marks a turning point in Middle East geopolitics and intelligence operations. Watch the full breakdown of the 2.5-hour warning, the intelligence gaps, and the unanswered questions that have China and Russia scrambling in emergency meetings right now."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Money Over History, 3/1/26

"Who Betrayed Khamenei? The Untold Story"

"Who betrayed Ali Khamenei? New intelligence reports reveal that the strike was timed using inside information about a secret leadership meeting in Tehran. According to reports from The New York Times, U.S. intelligence had advance knowledge of Khamenei’s location - suggesting a possible insider leak at the highest level of Iran’s leadership. Was there a mole inside Iran’s inner circle? Did the CIA receive human intelligence from someone close to Khamenei? This video breaks down the intelligence timeline, the secret meeting, and what this means for Iran, the United States, and the Middle East. The death of Iran’s Supreme Leader has triggered regional escalation, missile strikes, and rising global tensions. But the real story may be the insider who made it possible. Watch till the end for the full breakdown."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

India & Global Left, 3/1/26

"Jeffrey Sachs: “US Will Fail” in Iran War; 

Israel a Terror State? Russia & China’s Next Move"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Dan, I Allegedly, "A $1 Building?! - Real Estate Just Collapsed!"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, 3/1/26

"A $1 Building?! - Real Estate Just Collapsed!"

"Commercial real estate just sent a massive warning signal. A historic Minneapolis office building sold for just one dollar after previously trading for over $4 million. In this episode of i Allegedly, we break down what this means for banks, investors, commercial landlords, and residential housing. With one in seven escrows now canceling and real estate agents exiting the business at record levels, the so-called recovery story isn’t matching reality. We also look at a $940 million office loan default, condo overbuilding in Orange County, retail closures, and what’s really happening beneath the headlines. Plus, I try McDonald’s new $10 Big Arch burger - and let’s just say inflation doesn’t taste very good. This is real estate, economic reset, and real life - only on i Allegedly news channel."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"The Iran War, 3/1/26"

Full screen recommended.

Money Over History, 3/1/26

"Iran Just Hit 27 U.S. Bases - 

The Sixth Wave Has Begun"

"Iran’s sixth wave of missile strikes has reportedly targeted 27 U.S. military bases across the region, marking a dramatic escalation in the conflict. With airbases under attack, missile trails visible over strategic installations, and retaliation rhetoric intensifying, the situation is rapidly evolving. In this video, we break down what this latest wave means for U.S. military operations, regional stability, and the broader geopolitical balance. Is this the beginning of sustained escalation? What are the strategic objectives behind these strikes? And how could this impact global markets, oil supply routes, and international security alliances? As tensions rise and military assets remain on high alert, the consequences of this sixth wave may reshape the trajectory of the conflict. Stay tuned for a full analysis of what happens next."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Danny Haiphong, 3/1/26

"Scott Ritter: Iran's Hypersonic Missiles 

Devastate Tel Aviv & Haifa"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Meidas Touch, 3/1/26

"All Hell Breaks Loose As Trump's War On Iran Backfires!"

"MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on how Donald Trump’s war against Iran is backfiring as some of the biggest fears of what the consequences might be are already starting to occur."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Iran Just Hit Saudi Oil Fields and Nobody Is Telling You What Opens Monday Morning"

Full screen recommended.

Global Ledger, 2/28/26

"Iran Just Hit Saudi Oil Fields and Nobody Is 

Telling You What Opens Monday Morning"

"Iran bombed Saudi Arabia's eastern provinces - home to Ghawar, the largest conventional oil field on Earth. This is now bigger than the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's carriers cannot be in two places at once. Aramco has gone completely silent. Saudi Arabia confirmed Riyadh and the eastern provinces were targeted. Major oil companies already suspended Hormuz shipments. $5 trillion in global economic exposure. Markets open Sunday night. The damage assessment is not done - but the price spike already is."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Iran Strikes Tel Aviv 2: Hypersonic Missiles Challenge Iron Dome & Patriot"

Full screen recommended.

Prime News 24, 2/28/26

"Iran Strikes Tel Aviv 2: 

Hypersonic Missiles Challenge Iron Dome & Patriot"

"Iran has launched a new wave of missile strikes toward Tel Aviv, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing Middle East conflict. Footage emerging from multiple locations shows explosions, emergency sirens, and impacts that analysts say are placing unprecedented pressure on Israel’s Iron Dome and U.S. Patriot air defense systems.

In this in-depth analysis, we examine reports surrounding Iran’s alleged deployment of advanced hypersonic missile technology, including discussions about the Fattah missile and its potential implications for modern air defense strategy. Military experts are closely watching how high-speed maneuvering weapons may challenge traditional interception systems and reshape future battlefield dynamics.

What makes hypersonic missiles different from conventional ballistic threats? Why are defense analysts reassessing the effectiveness of layered missile defense networks? And how could this escalation influence regional stability, global security policy, and strategic decision-making in Washington, Tel Aviv, and beyond?

This video provides geopolitical context, military analysis, and verified background information to help viewers better understand one of the most critical developments in the evolving Israel-Iran crisis. Our goal is to present clear, fact-based analysis that explains complex security developments in an accessible and informative way."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Stipendium peccati mors est, Israel...

"Supreme Leader Neutralized; Oil Prices To Surge; Operation Epic Fury"

Jeremiah Babe, 2/28/26

"Supreme Leader Neutralized;

Oil Prices To Surge; Operation Epic Fury"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Prepper News, "Alert: And So It Goes..."

Prepper News, 2/28/26

"Alert: And So It Goes..."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"US-Iran War: The $5 Trillion Global Market Crash Now"

Full screen recommended.

Finance Meet History, 2/28/26

"US-Iran War: 

The $5 Trillion Global Market Crash Now"

"As tensions between the United States and Iran escalate, financial markets around the world are already reacting with volatility. Risk assets have tumbled, safe-haven flows have surged, and analysts warn that a serious military conflict could trigger massive shifts in global investment - potentially wiping out trillions in market value. This video breaks down how geopolitical shocks like war impact global markets and why experts are talking about a possible $5 trillion market disruption across equities, commodities, and currencies."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Gas Prices About To Explode After Iran Strike"

Full screen recommended.

Snyder Reports, 2/28/26

"Gas Prices About To Explode After Iran Strike"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Ayatollah Killed By Israeli/US Strike, Iran Quickly Retaliates!"

Full screen recommended.

Meidas Touch, 2/28/26

"Ayatollah Killed By Israeli/US Strike, 

Iran Quickly Retaliates!"

"MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the breaking news in Iran as the United Stated and Israel have killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran has responded by quickly intensifying its retaliation as the Islamic regime remains in power."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Daniel Davis/Deep Dive, 2/28/26

"U.S. at War w/Iran, Iranian Leader Dead!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Glenn Diesen, 2/28/26

"Larry Johnson: The U.S. Will Exhaust Itself & 

Lose War Against Iran"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: 2002, “Land of Forever

Full screen recommended.

2002, “Land of Forever

"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 Eternal Silence..."

"The eternal silence of infinite spaces frightens me. Why now rather than then? Who has put me here? By whose order and direction have this place and time have been ascribed to me? We travel in a vast sphere, always drifting in the uncertain, pulled from one side to another. Whenever we find a fixed point to attach and to fasten ourselves, it shifts and leaves us; and if we follow it, it eludes our grasp, slips past us, and vanishes for ever. Nothing stays for us. This is our natural condition, most contrary to our inclination; we burn with desires to find solid ground and an ultimate and solid foundation for building a tower reaching to the Infinite. But always these bases crack, and the earth obstinately opens up into abysses. We are infinitely removed from comprehending the extremes, since the end of things and their beginning are hopelessly hidden from us in an encapsulated secret; we are equally incapable of seeing the Nothing from which we were made, and the Infinite in which we are swallowed up."

- Blaise Pascal

Freely Read Online: Gregory David Roberts, “Shantaram”

“Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope.

Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.

In the end that’s all we have – to hold on tight until dawn.”

- Gregory David Roberts, “Shantaram”

“Shantaram”

by Valerie Ryan

“Crime and punishment, passion and loyalty, betrayal and redemption are only a few of the ingredients in “Shantaram,” a massive, over-the-top, mostly autobiographical novel. Shantaram is the name given Mr. Lindsay, or Linbaba, the larger-than-life hero. It means “man of God’s peace,” which is what the Indian people know of Lin. What they do not know is that prior to his arrival in Bombay he escaped from an Australian prison where he had begun serving a 19-year sentence. He served two years and leaped over the wall. He was imprisoned for a string of armed robberies peformed to support his heroin addiction, which started when his marriage fell apart and he lost custody of his daughter. All of that is enough for several lifetimes, but for Greg Roberts, that’s only the beginning.

He arrives in Bombay with little money, an assumed name, false papers, an untellable past, and no plans for the future. Fortunately, he meets Prabaker right away, a sweet, smiling man who is a street guide. He takes to Lin immediately, eventually introducing him to his home village, where they end up living for six months. When they return to Bombay, they take up residence in a sprawling illegal slum of 25,000 people and Linbaba becomes the resident “doctor.” With a prison knowledge of first aid and whatever medicines he can cadge from doing trades with the local Mafia, he sets up a practice and is regarded as heaven-sent by these poor people who have nothing but illness, rat bites, dysentery, and anemia. He also meets Karla, an enigmatic Swiss-American woman, with whom he falls in love. Theirs is a complicated relationship, and Karla’s connections are murky from the outset.

Roberts is not reluctant to wax poetic; in fact, some of his prose is downright embarrassing. Throughout the novel, however, all 944 pages of it, every single sentence rings true. He is a tough guy with a tender heart, one capable of what is judged criminal behavior, but a basically decent, intelligent man who would never intentionally hurt anyone, especially anyone he knew. He is a magnet for trouble, a soldier of fortune, a picaresque hero: the rascal who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. His story is irresistible. Stay tuned for the prequel and the sequel.” 

Freely read “Shantaram” online, by Gregory David Roberts, here:

- https://www.d-pdf.com/book/338/read

The Universe

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

“Tallyho,”

The Universe

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

- www.tut.com

“Life Lessons From a Psychiatrist Who’s Been Listening to People’s Problems For Decades”

“Life Lessons From a Psychiatrist Who’s Been

Listening to People’s Problems For Decades”

by Thomas Oppong

“How you approach life says a lot about who you are. As I get deeper into my late 30s I have learned to focus more on experiences that bring meaning and fulfilment to my life. I try to consistently pursue life goals that will make me and my closest relations happy; a trait that many individuals search for their entire lives. Nothing gives a person inner wholeness and peace like a distinct understanding of where they are going, how they can get there, and a sense of control over their actions.

Seneca once said, “Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.” “No people can be truly happy if they do not feel that they are choosing the course of their own life,” states the World Happiness Report 2012. The report also found that having this freedom of choice is one of the six factors that explain why some people are happier than others.

In his best-selling first book, “Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now”, Dr Gordon Livingston, a psychiatrist who’s been listening to people’s problems for decades, revealed thirty bedrock truths about life, and how best to live it. In his capacity as a psychiatrist, Dr Livingston listened to people talk about their lives and the many ways people induced unhappiness on themselves. In his book, he brings his insight and wisdom to the subjects of happiness, fear and courage.

“Life’s two most important questions are “Why?” and “Why not?” The trick is knowing which one to ask.” Acquiring some understanding of why we do things is often a prerequisite to change. This is especially true when talking about repetitive patterns of behavior that do not serve us well. This is what Socrates meant when he said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” That more of us do not take his advice is testimony to the hard work and potential embarrassment that self-examination implies.”

Most people operate on autopilot, doing the same things today that didn’t work yesterday. They rarely stop to measure the impact of their actions on themselves and others, and how those actions affect their total well-being. They are caught in a cycle. And once you get caught in the loop, it can be difficult to break free and do something meaningful. Past behavior is the most reliable predictor of future behavior.

If your daily actions and choices are making you unhappy, make a deliberate choice to change direction. No matter how bleak or desperate a situation may appear to look, you always have a choice. “People often come to me asking for medication. They are tired of their sad mood, fatigue, and loss of interest in things that previously gave them pleasure. ”…“Their days are routine: unsatisfying jobs, few friends, lots of boredom. They feel cut off from the pleasures enjoyed by others.

Here is what I tell them: The good news is that we have effective treatments for the symptoms of depression; the bad news is that medication will not make you happy. Happiness is not simply the absence of despair. It is an affirmative state in which our lives have both meaning and pleasure.” “In general we get, not what we deserve, but what we expect,” he says.

Most people know what is good for them, they know what will make them feel better. They don’t avoid meaningful life habits because of ignorance of their value, but because they are no longer “motivated” to do them, Dr Livingston found. They are waiting until they feel better. Frequently, it’s a long wait, he says. Life is too short to wait for a great day to invest in better life experiences.

Most unhappiness is self-induced, Dr Livingston found. “The three components of happiness are something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. Think about it. If we have useful work, sustaining relationships, and the promise of pleasure, it is hard to be unhappy. I use the term “work” to encompass any activity, paid or unpaid, that gives us a feeling of personal significance. If we have a compelling avocation that lends meaning to our lives, that is our work, ” says Dr Livingston.

Many experiences in life that bring happiness are in your control. The more choices you are able to exercise, and control, the happier you are likely to be. “Happiness is an inside job. Don’t assign anyone else that much power over your life,” says Mandy Hale. Many people wait for something to happen or someone to help them live their best lives. They expect others to make them happy. They think they have lost the ability to improve their lives.

The thing that characterizes those who struggle emotionally is that they have lost, or believe they have lost, their ability to choose those behaviors that will make them happy, says Dr Livingston. You are responsible for your own life experiences, whether you are seeking a meaningful life or a happy life. If you expect others to make you happy, you will always be disappointed.

You can consistently choose actions that could become everyday habits. It takes time, but it’s an investment that will be worth your while. “Virtually all the happiness-producing processes in our lives take time, usually a long time: Learning new things, changing old behaviors, building new relationships, raising children. This is why patience and determination are among life’s primary virtues,”

Most people are stuck in life because of fear. Fear of everything outside their safe zones. Your mind has a way of rising to the occasion. Challenge it, and it will reward you. Your determination to overcome fear and discouragement constitutes the only effective antidote to that feeling on unhappiness you don’t want. Dr Livingston explains. “The most secure prisons are those we construct for ourselves. I frequently ask people who are risk-averse, “What is the biggest chance you have ever taken?” People begin to realize what “safe” lives they have chosen to lead.”

“Everything we are afraid to try, all our unfulfilled dreams, constitute a limitation on what we are and could become. Usually it is fear and its close cousin, anxiety, that keep us from doing those things that would make us happy. So much of our lives consists of broken promises to ourselves. The things we long to do — educate ourselves, become successful in our work, fall in love — are goals shared by all. Nor are the means to achieve these things obscure. And yet we often do not do what is necessary to become the people we want to be.”

As you increasingly install experiences of acceptance, gratitude, accomplishment, and feeling that there’s a fullness in your life rather than an emptiness or a scarcity, you will be able to deal with the issues of life better.

Closing thoughts: Dr Livingston’s words feel true and profound. The real secret to a happy life is selective attention, he says. If you choose to focus your awareness and energy on things and people that bring you pleasure and satisfaction, you have a very good chance of being happy in a world full of unhappiness, uncertainty, and fear."

- https://medium.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"Live All You Can..."

"Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much

matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life.

If you haven't had that, what have you had?"

- Henry James

"A Heron, a Red Leaf, and a Hole in a Blue Star: Poet Jane Kenyon on the Art of Letting Go"

"Things" by Jane Kenyon (read by Maria Popova)

"A Heron, a Red Leaf, and a Hole in a Blue Star:

Poet Jane Kenyon on the Art of Letting Go"

by Maria Popova

"The vital force of life is charged by the poles of holding on and letting go. We know that the price of love is loss, and yet we love anyway; that our atoms will one day belong to generations of other living creatures who too will die in turn, and yet we press them hard against the body of the world, against each other’s bodies, against the canvas and the keyboard and the cambium of life. This is the cruel contract of all experience, of aliveness itself - that in order to have it, we must agree to let it go. Poet Jane Kenyon (May 23, 1947–April 22, 1995) offers a splendid consolation for signing it in her poem “Things,” found in her altogether soul-slaking Collected Poems (public library).

"Things"

by Jane Kenyon

"The hen flings a single pebble aside

with her yellow, reptilian foot.

Never in eternity the same sound -

a small stone falling on a red leaf.

The juncture of twig and branch,

scarred with lichen, is a gate

we might enter, singing.

The mouse pulls batting

from a hundred-year-old quilt.

She chewed a hole in a blue star

to get it, and now she thrives…

Now is her time to thrive.

Things: simply lasting, then

failing to last: water, a blue heron’s

eye, and the light passing

between them: into light all things

must fall, glad at last to have fallen."

Shortly before leukemia claimed her life at only forty-seven, Kenyon captured the miraculousness of the light having passed through us at all - which contours the luckiness of death - in a haunting poem that puts any complaint, any lament, any argument with life into perspective:

"Otherwise"

by Jane Kenyon

"I got out of bed

on two strong legs.

It might have been

otherwise. I ate

cereal, sweet

milk, ripe, flawless

peach. It might

have been otherwise.

I took the dog uphill

to the birch wood.

All morning I did

the work I love.

At noon I lay down

with my mate. It might

have been otherwise.

We ate dinner together

at a table with silver

candlesticks. It might

have been otherwise.

I slept in a bed

in a room with paintings

on the walls, and

planned another day

just like this day.

But one day, I know,

it will be otherwise."

Couple with Kenyon’s immortal advice on writing and life, then revisit poet Donald Hall - her mate - on the secret of lasting love and Pico Iyer on finding beauty in impermanence and luminosity in loss."

- https://www.themarginalian.org/