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So, we rise from the rubble...
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Wednesday, March 25, 2026
"Palaver and Parable: Trump’s Babble"
"Palaver and Parable: Trump’s Babble"
by Edward Curtin
“All lies and jests
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest”
– “The Boxer,” Paul Simon
"Listening to Donald Trump is like staring at a record spinning on a turntable and finding your mind spinning with your eyes. Something playing here makes you feel crazy, not in the Patsy Cline sense of her singing “Crazy” about lost love, but in the sense of the song’s original title – “Stupid” – according to Willy Nelson, who wrote it.
Trump is like the mobster Vincent Gigante who walked around Greenwich Village in slippers, pajamas, and a bathrobe in an effort to convince federal prosecutors that he was crazy. Trump’s babble is a similar act. Only a very stupid person would be fooled by it. The Iranians are not stupid, nor should we be.
His latest palaver came yesterday morning when, after days of threatening to “obliterate” Iran’s power grid if it didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz within forty-eight hours, he now says he is postponing such strikes for five days since the U.S. and Iran have held “productive conversations.” He said: "I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions."
Shortly after, Iran denied any such negotiations were taking place. Iranian PRESSTV’s headline read: “We negotiate with enemies with impact-driven strikes,” as it pounded Israel with waves of missiles.
One’s forgettery would have to be operating at full-speed to forget Trump’s past use of “negotiations” as a cover for attacking Iran. He is a treacherous liar and this is probably another blatant delaying tactic that will last a day or two or maybe even five. This becomes especially true as Simplicius and others report that the U.S 82nd Airborne “have gotten their deployment papers,” and Marines are heading for Iran and that Pakistan may be secretly staging U.S. troops to enter Iran from the east.
On February 27, the day before the US/Israel attacked Iran, I asked “Is it just a coincidence that as Trump amasses military strike forces to the west and south of Iran, Pakistan attacks Afghanistan, which countries line the 950 mile eastern border of Iran?” In response to such attacks, Trump said, “Pakistan [that has 170 or so nuclear warheads] is doing terrifically well.”
When the U.S. mainstream press reports that Trump is weighing his options for troops inside Iran, you can be quite certain he has already decided to do so. I have just heard from a friend that his military son has gotten all his shots and his unit is being deployed. To where? He can’t say. This war is moving inexorably toward a most dangerous phase, and as Americans and growing numbers of U.S. soldiers oppose it, the chance of a false flag attack in the U.S. to generate outrage toward Iran from Americans grows with it. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern has just warned of that possibility.
For years, the general consensus among the mainstream and the independent media has been that Trump’s rise twice to the presidency has been a break with tradition because he is so bizarre a character with no political experience, etc. This assessment has come from those who love or hate him. I have argued the opposite for years: that he is an establishment figure from the start, dressed in costume, so to speak. Few have agreed. I recently wrote:
"Some say that is because he is a complete anomaly and was able to twice become president by some strange twist of fate. If that is so, it would be the first and second time in modern history that it happened. A man with no political experience, a comical reality-tv joke, a bombastic fat party boy with weird dyed hair who talks like a version of an East Coast Valley Girl, a womanizer, a very wealthy New York real estate wheeler and dealer, etc. gets the votes of middle Americans who are losing their farms and factory jobs and are angry at the government. All sorts of explanations have been given for this “anomaly,” except that it was not one, except in appearance."
Now it seems that others may be coming around to the same opinion. In a recent article, "Seeing Trump Clearly," Craig Murray, the former British diplomat, author, and Scottish human rights activist, who attended and reported on Julian Assange’s extradition trial, wrote: "It is comforting to see Trump as a buffoon, to accept the facade he presents of a blustering and ill-educated ignoramus, who swings wildly between policy options, and who does not understand the world of geopolitics."
But that is nonsense. Although Trump seems to be a clown, Murray says, it would be a terrible mistake to take seeming for being, for Trump is vicious and very dangerous and wholly intent on destroying the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, Iran and the Iranians, while supporting Israel’s takeover of Lebanon and Syria for Greater Israel and the United States. Yes, it is true that Trump and his venal family are also making a financial killing swinging deals throughout the Middle East, but his policies are part of a long-term U.S. strategy. Most importantly, Murray writes:
It is essential not to lose sight of the bipartisan nature of the United States’ long term plan. In a very real sense Trump is continuing – if greatly accelerating – the policy under Biden, who protected and enabled the Genocide in Gaza. The success of this US policy is phenomenal. Just consider that only 18 months ago the Zionist “Presidents” al-Jolani of Syria and Aoun of Lebanon were not in power. Both were brought to power as a result of US-aligned military action, by Israel against Hezbollah and by the CIA and MI6-sponsored HTS forces. Put in place by Biden, they are now central to Trump’s strategy.
The same could be said for the bipartisan nature of the U.S. strategy toward the Ukrainian proxy war against Russia and the aggressive moves toward China, forecast ten years ago by the late great journalist John Pilger with his powerful documentary, "The Coming War on China."
The other evening a man went for a walk around his residential neighborhood in a small very liberal (Democratic Party ) New England town. He encountered no one except a squirrel, a few crows, and a host of black vultures circling overhead. As he was turning back home, a man emerged from the side door of a large house that had been posting the Ukrainian flag since February 2022. He recognized the man as the one who had donated a large cache of books about the CIA, Russia, Philip Agee (former CIA dissident), etc. to the local library. The man started scattering jelly beans on the lawn. The walker asked him what he was doing and the man said he was doing it to keep the Iranians from invading. The walker said, “But the Iranians aren’t invading.” To which the man replied, “See, it’s working. The Russians are afraid of jelly beans.”
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Simon & Garfunkel, "The Boxer"
"The Gig Economy"
Full screen recommended.
Snyder Reports, 3/25/26
"Gig Economy Warning,
Workers Aren't Getting Paid"
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Full screen recommended.
Zac Rios, 3/25/26
"The Gig Economy Collapse Nobody's Talking About"
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"US-Israel-Iran War, 3/25/26"
Full screen recommended.
OPTM, 3/25/26
"Iran Just Did What No One Thought Possible
Since WWII...Israel, US Trapped"
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Glenn Diesen, 3/25/26
"Jeffrey Sachs:
Iran is the Graveyard of American Hegemony"
"Prof. Jeffrey Sachs argues that Trump is becoming increasingly irrational and that the miscalculations in the war against Iran reveal problems of a decadent hegemony."
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Glenn Diesen, 3/25/26
"Col. Douglas Macgregor: A New World Emerges -
Iran Victory & Israel Is Finished"
"Retired Colonel Douglas Macgregor reveals the shocking truth: the Iran-Israel war has entered a dangerous new phase and a completely new Middle East is being born. Iran is winning decisively, Israel may not survive in its current form, oil prices are exploding past $100, and the United States is facing strategic disaster. The old world order is collapsing right now. Must-watch analysis you won’t hear anywhere else."
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"This Is Not a Crisis...It's a Collapse (And You're Not Ready For What Comes Next)"
Jiang Xueqin Briefing, 3/25/26
Prof Jiang Xueqin:
"This Is Not a Crisis...It's a Collapse
(And You're Not Ready For What Comes Next)"
"Welcome to "Jiang Xueqin Briefing," your dedicated resource for insightful, easy-to-digest educational content inspired by the groundbreaking work found on the 'Predictive History' channel. Our goal is to make the profound knowledge and historical analysis of Professor Jiang Xueqin accessible and engaging for a wider public audience. By simplifying complex theories and breaking down dense lectures, we empower everyone to understand the crucial forces that shape our past and define our future. In this specific video, we explore Professor Jiang Xueqin's analysis of the rise and fall of ancient civilizations and what it means for modern superpowers]. Based on years of meticulous research and the unique predictive framework developed by Professor Jiang Xueqin, this video will provide you with a fresh perspective on historical patterns and their practical application in predicting future geopolitical trends. We leverage visual aids, clear examples, and structured narration to ensure these vital lessons are truly learned."
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"The Greatest Economic Crash Ever"
"The Greatest Economic Crash Ever"
by David Haggith
"The “greatest economy ever,” as the king and all the king’s men (and women) keep calling it, is creating the greatest private-credit crisis ever. A crisis that is increasingly being described as something that could rapidly achieve critical mass like the Great Financial Crisis did keeps blowing up relentlessly. Today, yet another private credit fund that holds investments in many issuers of private credit, jumped on the heap of those that have already been throttling back on how much investors can withdraw from their funds in order to prevent an account-draining rush down the sewers of corporate history.
Apollo Global Management became the latest shadow bank to cap redemptions from one its biggest private credit funds after investors tried to pull $1.6bn (£1.1bn) over the last three months, as investor worries over the $3 trillion sector grow. That makes Apollo the 6th major company that has had to cap withdrawals from the fund this year—the others being Blackrock, Blackstone, Blue Owl, JP Morgan and Clearwater. Apollo’s shares have lost a quarter of their value since the start of the year.
Trouble for the industry began in September 2025, following the back to back bankruptcies of auto lender Tricolor and car-part maker Firstbrands…You probably remember that temblor that ran through the market as the auto industry of today started to look like the Chrysler, GM and almost-Ford bailout boneheads of yesteryear. Concerns about AI taking megabites out of the soft behinds of software companies and about the “total decimation” of oil wells and facilities that are setting up the Persian Gulf for future Trump-Gaza-Cuba style resort development while causing raging inflation for you and me are taking down the value of companies that could be heavily impacted by those threats.
You may recall that only about a week ago I wrote that the former CEO of Vampire Squid Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfiend, said he “smells” signs of another GFC. He has a shark’s nose for that kind of dying meat, as the predator who profited most off of the last financial crisis. He knows the rigging and how to pull the ropes.
Speaking of the Great Financial Crisis, maybe that is what Team Trump is trying to say when they speak of the “greatest economy ever;” maybe they mean to say, “the greatest economic crisis ever.” Bigger than the GFC. After all, Marc Rowan, Apollo’s chief executive, said he does not believe this problem is going to be short term! Neither do I.
College dust up: Meanwhile, the greatest economy continues to leave young men and women just about to graduate from college in dire straits - not as dire as Hormuz, but worse off than these young men and women were a year ago. The job deterioration, which started before Trump, has now become so bad one New York Times article labels it “the grimmest job market in years.”
Granted, that only means back to the depths of the Covidcrash, but those were some major low depths we plumbed back when Trump agreed to shut down almost the entire economy on the advice of the likes of Dr. Anthony Grauci, to whom Trump awarded the bully pulpit every day for all of his last year in office while he helped to roll out the greatest vaccines ever, which he did in warp-speed (lickety-split) time with minimal human testing. That is to say, outside of the total global test they gave the vaccines as soon as possible.
Many college students are taking low-level jobs just to get work, not in the careers they trained for. Pushing mops to pay off pops or the government for its college loans which they believed would be easy to pay off with big, bold new jobs that mostly went up in smoke like dessert oil.
Treasury surprise: Here was a surprising little jolt: the US Treasury announced today the United States is insolvent! That’s not surprising as a fact. We could all see it coming for years. However, it is surprising that the Treasury would come right out and say it. Ooookaay, they didn’t quite say it, but they showed it. The word “insolvent” is Fortune Magazine’s take, based on how you’d call any corporation’s financial statements if it looked just like a scaled-down version of what the US government just presented: That’s not hyperbole - it’s the conclusion drawn directly from the Treasury Department’s own consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2025, released last week to near-total media silence.
In true government ineptitude, which is apparently still running strong post-DOGE, "The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a disclaimer of opinion on the U.S. government’s FY 2025 financial statements - the 29th consecutive year it has been unable to determine whether the statements are fairly presented. This is primarily due to serious, ongoing financial management problems at the Department of Defense and weaknesses in accounting for interagency transactions."
In other words, the government still doesn’t know what the heck it’s got. Maybe when Peat Keg’sbreath gets done partying and pillaging every nook of the world with wars both small and tall, he can straighten out his own department and get it to start honest financial reporting. Of course, that is the kind of battle that can get a guy killed! It would take a true warrior, not a poly-sci college frat boy playing video games of War of the Worlds with the entire US military."
"The Collapse of Everyday Life in America is Getting Worse"
Full screen recommended.
A Homestead Journey, 3/2526
"The Collapse of Everyday Life
in America is Getting Worse"
"The collapse of everyday life in America is getting worse, and more families are starting to feel it in real time. Rising cost of living, inflation, layoffs, and economic uncertainty are pushing everyday Americans to the edge as basic expenses like groceries, rent, and utilities become harder to afford. Across the country, people are quietly falling behind. Credit card debt is climbing, savings are disappearing, and many are being forced to choose between paying bills or buying food. What used to feel stable is now becoming unpredictable, exposing just how fragile the system really is.In this video, I break down what’s driving this decline, how inflation and rising costs are reshaping daily life, and why so many are struggling just to get by. More importantly, we’ll talk about what this means for the future and why preparedness, frugal living, and self-sufficiency matter now more than ever. If you’ve been noticing these changes in your own life, you’re not alone. This is a reality more Americans are waking up to - and it’s only getting harder to ignore."
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Adventures With Danno, "Dollar Tree Items You Should Buy... Before Prices Increase"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 3/25/26
"Dollar Tree Items You Should Buy...
Before Prices Increase"
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John Wilder, "The Double Debt Mountain of 2026"
"The Double Debt Mountain of 2026"
by John Wilder
"The economy looks “fine” on the surface. Fine, that is, if you believe the headlines. I sense, though, underneath it’s a double debt mountain that’s getting closer to a landslide every day, and someone is planting bombs along the slope. Okay, that’s a lot of metaphor. Let me see if I can pilot this ship home.
Damn. Another metaphor. One bomb is the wallets of the kids. The other bomb is in Washington.
Both are set to blow up the same people: Millennials and Gen Z, generations already hammered by housing costs, stagnant real wages, hordes of legal and illegal aliens soaking up employment, and women who forgot that the main reason they exist is to make more humans.
Good news? Yeah, there’s a tiny sliver. Credit card delinquencies on some non-housing debt leveled out in late 2025 according to the New York Fed®. But that’s like saying the fire department showed up and has the fire down to burning one house an hour in the neighborhood. The real picture is as ugly as an Antifa swimsuit pageant. Yeah, it’s grim. And all of their older women are coming down with prostate cancer.
Credit cards have become the new paycheck for millions of young Americans, and new companies have shown up to monetize even the smallest debts. Want to go to Taco Bell™ and pay for that Super Crunchwrap Supreme Bellgrande™ over the next six months? You can do that.
Total credit card debt hit a record $1.28 trillion in 2025, up $44 billion in just three months. That’s not a blip: that’s paying for groceries on credit cards and only paying the minimum monthly payment. Delinquencies on household debt overall jumped to 4.8 percent, led by the kids. For people under 39, the transition into serious delinquency on credit cards is nearly double the national average.
Surveys show 56 percent of Gen Z are forced to use cards just to make ends meet because prices keep climbing. Sixty-six percent of Millennials say they rely on plastic to get through the month. Thirty-five percent of Millennials are carrying more than $10,000 in card debt. Credit card debt, the gateway drug of insolvency. Sure, payday lenders and “buy here, pay here” car places are the crack cocaine and meth of debt, but it all starts somewhere. Gen Z is running around $3,500 in average balances, while Millennials are pushing $7,000. They’re not buying yachts or avocado toast, they’re financing groceries, gas, and rent.
Here’s why this mess is worse than it looks: First, real wages aren’t keeping up, and the system is rigged against the young. Gen Z and Millennials entered the workforce during the pandemic hangover, got crushed by housing prices we already talked about, and now face interest rates that make every purchase a long-term loan. The GloboLeftElite told them to “follow your passion” and rack up student debt for useless degrees that qualify them for entry-level retail jobs in malls that don’t exist anymore. And they listened.
Credit cards fill the gap at 20-25 percent interest. For those that didn’t choose wisely and avoid jobs taken by Jugdish, life is not luxury. It’s debt, roommates, and used couches that smell vaguely of fish. Forever. One bad month due to a mandatory car repair, unexpected medical bill, or if Egyptians convince them to invest in a pyramid scheme, and they’re in the hole they can’t climb out of.
Second, banks and card companies love debt. People don’t get poor because they don’t make enough money, they get poor because they give it away to everyone else: ask the Amish. Banks are making fat margins on revolving debt while pretending everything is peachy. Delinquency rates are rising, but not fast enough for the suits to panic yet. They know the game: extend and pretend and as long as we get this quarter’s bonus, it’s all copacetic. Just like with the housing market in 2008.
Meanwhile, the official unemployment rate looks fine because more paper-pushers are getting hired in the last growth industry: government jobs. The real economy? Productive private-sector work is stagnant. Young people are borrowing to eat.
Third, this consumer debt bomb feeds right into the bigger federal debt bomb. Washington has its own plastic problem, except it’s measured in trillions. National debt sits north of $38.5 trillion. Net interest payments are projected to hit $1 trillion in fiscal year 2026 and interest payments are already bigger than defense spending in the first quarter of this year.
Interest already eats 19% of all federal revenue. By 2036, CBO says it doubles to $2.1 trillion and consumes nearly a quarter of everything the government takes in, but the CBO is always low, because they have to use the assumptions that Congress made up. Yes. AOC is responsible for the rules of the game. But what do we want to spend our money on? Defense? Medicare? Infrastructure? Sorry, the interest check has to clear first.
Fourth, the GloboLeftElite solution is always the same: print more, borrow more, kick the can. National debt doubles every eight years. The Fed and Congress act like debt is free because they control the printer and don’t have to worry. Higher debt, though, means higher interest rates, which means even more debt service, which means . . . you get it. It’s a doom loop.
Every time they “stimulate” to keep the economy looking good for the next election, they make the next crisis worse. And who pays? Not the politicians. Not the connected class in D.C. It’s the taxpayers, especially the young ones who haven’t built wealth yet, but yet were forced to watch the abomination that is Scrappy Doo™.
Fifth, the generational theft is obvious. Boomers got cheap debt, rising home values, and that long summer of the 1980s and 1990s. Oh, and pensions that actually worked. Millennials and Gen Z get 24 percent credit card APRs, $1 trillion in federal interest payments crowding out future programs, and a promise that “we’ll import more workers” to fix the birth rate collapse caused by imported workers, interest payments, and... Female empowerment.
Female hypergamy and economic despair already delayed families, and they’ve reached civilization-ending levels with Gen Z and Millennial female solipsism. Now add maxed-out cards and a government that can’t even pay its own interest without borrowing more. The kids who should be having kids are busy paying Visa® instead.
The result? Gen Z and Millennials fall even further behind. They delay marriage, delay kids, delay life. Birth rates keep dropping. The GloboLeftElite flips from “stop having babies, save the planet!” to “import babies, we’re not having enough!” in one generation because their policies broke the math. Young couples look at the spreadsheet listing rent, cards, future taxes for Boomer pensions and federal interest and decide “maybe later.” Or never.
But me? Debt mountains? Debt landslides? I think I need to stop with my metaphors because they’re making me sneeze. Metaphors really set off my analogies."
Dan, I Allegedly, "The USA Is Broke - And They’re Finally Admitting It"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 3/25/26
"The USA Is Broke -
And They’re Finally Admitting It"
"The USA is broke - and now the warnings are coming from everywhere. The Treasury is calling the system unsustainable, Elon Musk is sounding the alarm on inevitable bankruptcy, and JPMorgan Chase is warning that our aging power grid is a national security threat. This isn’t opinion - it’s happening in real time, and it’s bigger than most people realize. From $125+ trillion in unfunded liabilities to trillion-dollar interest payments and a failing infrastructure system, the cracks are everywhere. Inflation, debt, energy, and the economy are all colliding at once. The question is no longer if something breaks - it’s what breaks first. This breakdown explains exactly why the system is under pressure and what it means for you moving forward."
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Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Canadian Prepper, "Alert! Global Gas Shortages, Trump Lies; Fake Peace Deal"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 3/24/26
"Alert! Global Gas Shortages, Trump Lies;
Fake Peace Deal"
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"Half A Billion Dollar Bet On Oil Before Trump Delays War - It's A Big Club And You Ain't In It"
Jeremiah Babe, 3/24/26
"Half A Billion Dollar Bet On Oil Before Trump Delays War -
It's A Big Club And You Ain't In It"
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Absolute truth...
Strong language alert!
"George Carlin - 'It's A Big Club & You Ain't In It!
You and I are not in the Big Club.'"
Gerald Celente, "Iran War Ending? Trump Sh*t Or Bullsh*t?"
Strong Language alert!
Gerald Celente, 4/24/26
"Iran War Ending? Trump Sh*t Or Bullsh*t?"
"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What's Next in these increasingly turbulent times."
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"Restaurants Can't Drop Prices Anymore…But They're Dying Anyway"
Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 3/24/26
"Restaurants Can't Drop Prices Anymore…
But They're Dying Anyway"
'Eating out in America isn’t as enjoyable as it used to be, and people are starting to talk about it more openly than ever. Prices are way too high, and the whole experience feels different now. The food isn't as good. The portions are smaller. The hidden fees keep piling up. And a growing number of people are realizing they feel better, eat better, and spend less just cooking at home. In this video, we're looking at why so many Americans are walking away from restaurants entirely - and what happens when an entire industry loses the trust of its customers.
We're reacting to real people sharing their honest experiences online. From folks who've sworn off fast food for good to others who've been hit with charges for silverware and restroom access at sit-down restaurants, the frustration is real and it's widespread. People aren't just venting - they're changing their habits for good. And the big chains are starting to feel it where it hurts most.
The numbers tell a sobering story. Major restaurant chains including Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Denny's, Starbucks, Red Lobster, Domino's, and Outback Steakhouse are all announcing significant closures heading into 2026. We're talking about nearly 3,000 locations shutting down across the country. Dining costs have risen over 30% since 2020, and the customers who once kept these businesses running are simply not coming back the way they used to. Some analysts are calling it the fastest pace of restaurant closures since the early days of the pandemic.
What often gets lost in these conversations is the human side of it. These closures don't just affect corporate bottom lines - they affect the thousands of workers who depend on these jobs, many of whom are already navigating a difficult economic environment. When a community loses a restaurant, it loses jobs, it loses a gathering place, and it often loses something that lower-income families relied on. The frustration customers feel is valid, but the consequences of this shift land hardest on the people who never set the prices to begin with.
There's also something worth reflecting on here beyond the economics. Eating out used to be one of life's small joys - a way to treat yourself, connect with people, and take a break from the routine. The fact that so many people now associate it with disappointment, bloating, overpaying, and regret says something about how much has quietly shifted over the past few years. Whether restaurants can earn that trust back remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: customers have options now, and they're using them. If you've changed your eating habits lately or have had your own experience with rising prices and disappointing meals, drop a comment below. We'd love to hear what's been happening where you are."
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"Something Massive Just Entered The War... Iran’s Big Surprise After Rejecting Ceasefire"
Full screen recommended.
OPTM, 3/24/26
"Something Massive Just Entered The War...
Iran’s Big Surprise After Rejecting Ceasefire"
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Musical Interlude: Deuter, "Endless Horizon"
Full screen recommended.
Deuter, "Endless Horizon"
○
"I cannot paint
What then I was. The sounding cataract
Haunted me like a passion: the tall rock,
The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,
Their colors and their forms, were then to me
An appetite; a feeling and a love,
That had no need of a remoter charm,
By thought supplied, not any interest
Unborrowed from the eye.
That time is past,
And all its aching joys are now no more,
And all its dizzy raptures. Not for this
Faint I, nor mourn nor murmur: other gifts
Have followed; for such loss, I would believe,
Abundant recompense.
For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue."
- William Wordsworth,
"Lines Written A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey"
○
“Some feelings sink so deep into the heart that
only loneliness can help you find them again.
Some truths are so painful that only shame can help you live with them.
Some things are so sad that only your soul can do the crying for them.”
- Gregory David Roberts, "Shantaram"
"A Look to the Heavens"
Many young stars from this cloud are visible in the above image from the Hubble Space Telescope, along with what is left of the initial gas cloud. Some stars were so massive they have already evolved and exploded in a supernova. The brightest stars that are left emit light so energetic that they create one of the largest clouds of ionized hydrogen gas known, comparable to the Tarantula Nebula in our Milky Way's close neighbor, the Large Magellanic Cloud.”
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121211.html
Chet Raymo, "Starlight"
"Starlight"
by Chet Raymo
"Poor Calvin is overwhelmed with the vastness of the cosmos and no small dose of existential angst. He is not the first, of course. Most famously the 17th-century French philosopher Blaise Pascal wailed his own despair: "I feel engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces whereof I know nothing and which know nothing of me. I am terrified...The eternal silence of these infinite spaces alarms me."
"We Were Made For These Times"
by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
“My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people.
You are right in your assessments. The lustre and hubris some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded, the helpless, is breathtaking. Yet, I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement.
I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. Regarding awakened souls, there have never been more able vessels in the waters than there are right now across the world. And they are fully provisioned and able to signal one another as never before in the history of humankind.
Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you. Even though your veneers may shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a greater forest. That long-grained lumber is known to withstand storms, to hold together, to hold its own, and to advance, regardless.
In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. There is a tendency, too, to fall into being weakened by dwelling on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there. That is spending the wind without raising the sails.
We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear. Didn’t you say you were a believer? Didn’t you say you pledged to listen to a voice greater? Didn’t you ask for grace? Don’t you remember that to be in grace means to submit to the voice greater?
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.
What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.
One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these – to be fierce and to show mercy toward others; both are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity.
Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.
There will always be times when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it. I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate. The reason is this: In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to Earth, who you serve, and who sent you here. The good words we say and the good deeds we do are not ours. They are the words and deeds of the One who brought us here. In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.”
"Success, Fight Club, Strippers and Socialists"
"Success, Fight Club, Strippers and Socialists"
by John Wilder
"I had a conversation with a friend today. Oh, sure, I hear you say, what would an iconoclastic iron-jawed individualist with a body odor redolent of medium rare ribeye (with just a hint of pepper) like John Wilder need with a friend? I guess we all have our little weaknesses. And dogs follow me. Because I smell like steak.
In this particular case as with most of my friends, I’ve known this friend for years. I’ve known most of my close friends longer than The Boy has been alive, and he’s in college now. It’s nice. If a day, a week, a month or a year goes by, so what? We can still restart the conversation where we left off. It’s as comfortable as watching a movie you’ve seen a dozen times.
I’ll make the observation that the only place where the character of people change is in a movie – almost all of my close friends have the same sense of humor and the same sense of values that they had when our friendships were forming. Absent a significant emotional event, people are a constant. And I like that.
There is a corresponding trust that comes with being a close friend – honesty. That’s why when talking with my friend, I really enjoyed the chance to be honest. Honesty is difficult because it requires that trust, because really honest criticism is hard to take, even when it comes from a friend. Or a co-worker. Or a relative. Or someone you just met. Or your UPS® delivery guy. Oh, wait. Most people don’t like honest. But my friends do.
This particular friend is really in a good position in life, which seems to be a common pattern with my friends. He has a spouse that makes more money than he does, and, in general, the household probably brings in enough cash each month so that Nigerian princes send emails to them asking for money. They’re wealthy enough that they donate to the homeless. This appears to be a more socially acceptable donation strategy than my “donation to the topless,” scheme.
But lest ye want to class my friend as the evil, selfish, wealthy type, he’s not. The family has a huge number of kids, and it’s a close family. My friend is constantly taking time off to go to athletic events, and when we catch up, I can sense that the relationship he has with his kids isn’t a surface relationship – it’s genuine and deep. I can tell, because I know people who understand genuine relationships, who listen to both sides of a family argument – my neighbors.
And yet... despite the wealth, despite the great family, my friend feels that there’s something missing. He is as high as he wants to go in the company he works at – any higher and the travel demands would pull him away from family. He’s long since mastered his job – there is little that can be thrown at him that he hasn’t seen in the last fifteen or so years. So, his condition is one of high pay, mastery of work, and, improbably, discontent.
John Wilder: “You realize you have an advantage that 99% of people would die for. You’re financially secure. You can quit your job anytime. Literally, you could walk in to your boss this afternoon and quit. Your lifestyle wouldn’t change a bit.”
Not Elon Musk: “Yes.”
Unlikely Voice of Wisdom John Wilder: “So, what is it you want to do?”
Really, I Promise It Isn’t Elon Musk: “I need to think about it.”
Channeling Tyler Durden From Fight Club® John Wilder: “No. If you think about it, you’ll end up doing nothing but thinking about it. You have to do something. Physically start it. This weekend. I’ll check back on Monday to see how you did.”
There is a scene in the movie Fight Club™ where Tyler Durden holds a gun to the head of a liquor store clerk. If you haven’t seen the movie, I strongly suggest it. I probably watch it once a month while I write – I think there are few movies that communicate the human condition in modern life so well.
Full screen recommended.
And it’s true. I tend to think that everyone’s life would be a little better if they had Tyler Durden to be a life coach, to ever so gently coax them to be the best they can be while holding a .357 magnum Colt® Python™ to their head. That seems to be a bit frowned upon, so that leaves my friends with me. See how lucky you are?
In my role as Dr. Durden, I’ve noticed that there’s a problem some people have. It’s being too clever. It’s thinking. How do I know? It’s my problem that I try to compensate for by writing and doing. If I think about doing something, it will never get done. I keep thinking about fixing the banister that broke when we moved into the house a decade ago. It’s never been high on my list, since people falling down stairs is funny, with extra points if they are really old. But thinking about doing something never accomplishes anything.
If I plan to do it, it will get done. Half of my time driving to and from work on a day I’m going to write a post, I’m writing it in my head, selecting jokes, thinking of themes. It’s also spent thinking of how I’m going to connect the idea I want to share with students who might be forced to read this post when Mrs. Grundy tells them to compare and contrast my work with that poseur, Mark Twain, in high school in the year 2248 (that’s when Kirk will be a sophomore).
It may look like I’m driving to work, but I’m really plotting out what I’m going to write about. To be honest, it sometimes takes both lanes to do that. I wish the State Patrol® would be a little more understanding to artists like me.
Thankfully, The Mrs. is. The Mrs. and I had a conversation the other night. It may or may not have involved wine – I’m not telling unless I’ve been subpoenaed and am under oath to a House subcommittee. Actually, it wasn’t so much a conversation as The Mrs. describing to me how she felt about this little project I publish three times a week.
I don’t make any money on this blog, though I’ve made clear since day one that can change at any time. I have plans for several (eventual) ways to do that including adding subliminal messages causing you to want to pay for my health insurance. It looks like it’s already worked for Bernie Sanders.
No, at this point, writing is a hobby. But it’s a hobby that takes over 20 hours a week, sometimes closer to 30 hours. I still have a job, and I won’t stop interacting my family, so most nights I won’t even start writing before 9pm. A lot of that time comes from time I’d normally be selfishly engaged in what you mortals call “sleep”, but a chunk of that time comes directly from time I’d be spending with The Mrs. When I’m writing, I’m simply not available. I’m writing.
The Mrs.: “You know, I would certainly have an issue with the time that you spend writing, if it weren’t important.” There was more to this, where she detailed the number of hours I spend. But I keyed in on the word “Important.” I was a little surprised by that. “Important?”
The Mrs.: “Yes. I can see that what you’re writing about is important. People need to hear it. So keep doing it.”
Okay, that proves she never reads this stuff. But as I talked more with my friend, the concept of “meaning” came up.
My Friend Who is Really Most Certainly Not Elon Musk: “So, it’s about meaning?”
Suddenly as Wise as the Roman Philosopher Seneca John Wilder: “That’s silly. You don’t go off chasing ‘meaning’ in your life. Pick out something you like to do, and do it. But figure out how to make it important to other people. You like to woodwork, right? You say you never have time to do it. Do it this weekend. Film it. Put it up on YouTube®. I’ll be checking up with you on Monday.”
I asked myself, why is my friend working at all? I think because he feels he’s supposed to work. That having a job is a rule, it’s what he’s always done. The problem that many of us have is that we tend to create rules where there aren’t any rules. I’m not sure why. Perhaps we need to justify what we do. Perhaps it’s like my two important rules for life:
Don’t tell everything you know.
Success? My friend is already successful in most ways a person can be successful. Their life is really good. I told them, directly, “You’ve been given so many gifts. If you don’t make something special of your life, you’re wasting it.”
Interestingly, this applies to you, too. And me. How will your breakfast taste tomorrow?"
The Poet: Henry Austin Dobson, “The Paradox Of Time”
“The Paradox Of Time”
“Time goes, you say? Ah no!
Alas, Time stays, we go;
Or else, were this not so,
What need to chain the hours,
For Youth were always ours?
Time goes, you say? – ah no!
Ours is the eyes’ deceit
Of men whose flying feet
Lead through some landscape low;
We pass, and think we see
The earth’s fixed surface flee -
Alas, Time stays, – we go!
Once in the days of old,
Your locks were curling gold,
And mine had shamed the crow.
Now, in the self-same stage,
We’ve reached the silver age;
Time goes, you say? – ah no!
Once, when my voice was strong,
I filled the woods with song
To praise your ‘rose’ and ‘snow’;
My bird, that sang, is dead;
Where are your roses fled?
Alas, Time stays, – we go!
See, in what traversed ways,
What backward Fate delays
The hopes we used to know;
Where are our old desires?
Ah, where those vanished fires?
Time goes, you say? – ah no!
How far, how far, O Sweet,
The past behind our feet
Lies in the even-glow!
Now, on the forward way,
Let us fold hands, and pray;
Alas, Time stays, – we go!”
- Henry Austin Dobson
○
“Time passes in moments. Moments which, rushing past, define the path of a life, just as surely as they lead towards its end. How rarely do we stop to examine that path, to see the reasons why all things happen? To consider whether the path we take in life is our own making, or simply one into which we drift with eyes closed? But what if we could stop, pause to take stock of each precious moment before it passes? Might we then see the endless forks in the road that have shaped a life? And, seeing those choices, choose another path?”
- Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully, “The X-Files”
'Something You Already Know..."
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that!”
- Rocky Balboa
"What Is The Point?"
"What is the point? We assume that every time we do anything we know what the consequences will be, i.e., more or less what we intend them to be. This is not only not always correct. It is wildly, crazily, stupidly, cross-eyed-blithering-insectly wrong!"
- Douglas Adams, “The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide”
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