“Stars are sometimes born in the midst of chaos. About 3 million years ago in the nearby galaxy M33, a large cloud of gas spawned dense internal knots which gravitationally collapsed to form stars. NGC 604 was so large, however, it could form enough stars to make a globular cluster.
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."
“Divinity is not playful. The universe was not made in jest but in solemn incomprehensible earnest. By a power that is unfathomably secret, and holy, and fleet.” You may recall these words from Annie Dillard’s “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.” There is nothing intrinsically cheerful about the world, she says. To live is to die; it’s all part of the bargain. Stars destroy themselves to make the atoms of our bodies. Every creature lives to eat and be eaten. And into this incomprehensible, unfathomable, apparently stochastic melee stumbles… You and I. With qualities that we have - so far - seen nowhere else. Hope. Humor. A sense of justice. A sense of beauty. Gratitude. But also: Anger. Hurt. Despair. Strangers in a strange land.
Galaxies by the billions turn like St. Catherine Wheels, throwing off sparks of exploding stars. Atoms eddy and flow, blowing hot and cold, groping and promiscuous. A wind of neutrinos gusts through our bodies, Energy billows and swells. A myriad of microorganisms nibble at our flesh.
We have a sense that something purposeful is going on, something that involves us. Something secret, holy and fleet. But we haven’t a clue what it is. We make up stories. Stories in which we are the point of it all. We tell the stories over and over. To our children. To ourselves. And the stories fill up the space of our ignorance. Until they don’t. And then the great yawning spaces open again. And time clangs down on our heads like a pummeling rain, like the collapsing ceiling of the sky. Dazed, stunned, we stagger like giddy topers towards our own swift dissolution. Inexplicably praising. Admiring. Wondering. Giving thanks.”
"For many great deeds are accomplished in times of squalid struggle. There is a kind of stubborn, unrecognized courage which in the lowest depths tenaciously resists the pressures of necessity and ill-doing; there are noble and obscure triumphs observed by no one, unacclaimed by any fanfare. Hardship, loneliness, and penury are a battlefield which has its own heroes, sometimes greater than those lauded in history. Strong and rare characters are thus created; poverty nearly always a foster-mother, may become a true mother, distress may be the nursemaid of pride, and misfortune the milk that nourishes great spirits."
"A growing number of Americans are asking questions about Hantavirus after reports connected the deadly virus to multiple deaths aboard a cruise ship. In this video, I break down what Hantavirus is, how it spreads, why experts say it is far deadlier than COVID once somebody becomes infected, and whether people should actually be concerned about another potential health crisis."
"The Hantavirus Theater Continues: Fear Over Facts,
and Why We Already Have Solutions"
A Measured Look at What the Press Got Wrong (And What They Got Right, More or Less)
by Robert W. Malone, MD, MS · Chief Medical Officer, Curativa Bay
"The narrative has evolved. We now know - courtesy of the WHO and various health authorities scrambling to contain the optics as much as the virus - that the passengers aboard the MV Hondius contracted the Andes strain of hantavirus. This is the detail the press has seized upon, amplified, and weaponized into a fresh installment of fear porn. But before we succumb to the theatrical anxiety that seems to be the dominant mode of public health communication these days, let’s examine what this actually means.
The Origin Story: Yes, It Came From South America: The ship departed Argentina in late March. Argentina - where the Andes strain has been circulating since at least 1995, where outbreaks have occurred regularly, and where between July 2025 and January 2026 alone, at least 20 deaths were reported. This is not new. This is not emerging. This is a known pathogen in a known endemic region, and apparently, someone (or several someones) who carried it boarded a cruise ship.
The question the press should have asked - and largely didn’t - is straightforward: How did the virus get from Argentina onto the ship? The answer is almost certainly rodent contamination during provisioning or boarding. This is a logistics problem, not a pandemic harbinger. It is entirely foreseeable and, frankly, entirely preventable with adequate sanitation protocols. But the narrative doesn’t work that way. Rodent control in ports sounds mundane. Boring. Unmotivating for the 24-hour news cycle.
Human-to-Human Transmission: Rare, Documented, and Misrepresented: Here is what the science actually shows about the Andes strain and human-to-human transmission: it is possible, but extraordinarily rare, and it requires sustained, intimate contact - the kind of contact that occurs between spouses, between healthcare workers and critically ill patients, or among family members living in close quarters during an active outbreak.
The press, inevitably, has positioned this as a looming threat. The subtext runs thus: A virus that can jump from person to person is loose on a ship. Civilization hangs in the balance. Never mind that documented cases of person-to-person transmission are vanishingly few, or that when they have occurred, they’ve been in contexts of profound intimacy or direct exposure to the blood and bodily fluids of acutely ill patients.
Let me be precise: the Andes virus spreads primarily through aerosolized particles from infected rodent excreta. When humans contract it, they typically acquire it by inhaling those particles directly. Yes, person-to-person transmission has been documented - primarily in Argentina and Chile, and primarily under conditions of close, sustained contact. But as one expert noted with admirable restraint: “This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID. It’s quite different.” The transmission route, when it occurs between humans, appears to involve significant exposure to bodily fluids - not the casual contact that characterizes respiratory viruses. This matters. A great deal.
What This Means: Respiratory Protection, Aerosol Control, and Why We Shouldn’t Panic: If - and it is a conditional if - human-to-human transmission via the Andes strain occurs through respiratory droplets or aerosols (as the available evidence suggests for the most likely transmission route), then we have well-established tools for mitigation that have nothing to do with vaccines or antivirals.
This is where the conversation gets interesting, and where the public health establishment seems remarkably incurious. The media line is that there is no cure, no vaccine. This is true in the sense that there is no FDA-approved antiviral specifically for hantavirus, and no preventive vaccine in widespread use. But this framing - there is nothing we can do - is fundamentally misleading.
We have aerosol mitigation strategies. We have room-level environmental controls. We have topical and respiratory interventions that can address viral particles in the environment and at mucosal surfaces. These are not speculative. They are not unproven. They are, in fact, among the most direct and upstream approaches to infectious disease prevention that exist.
The Missing Conversation: Hypochlorous Acid and Prevention at the Source: Which brings me to hypochlorous acid (HOCl) - a molecule that deserves far more attention in discussions of respiratory and environmental viral control than it currently receives.
HOCl is not a pharmaceutical. It is not a vaccine. It is a naturally occurring antimicrobial agent, a weak acid that the human immune system produces in neutrophils and other immune cells specifically to kill pathogens. When weaponized in controlled formulations - whether as a nasal spray, a surface disinfectant, or a room-level aerosol - it provides a straightforward mechanism for reducing viral burden at the point of exposure or transmission.
Think of it as upstream prevention. Not waiting for someone to become symptomatic. Not waiting for a virus to reach the lungs or cause systemic disease. Instead, intervening at the site of initial infection - the nasal mucosa, the respiratory tract, the contaminated environment.
A nasal spray formulation of HOCl offers direct antiviral activity at the primary portal of entry for respiratory pathogens. Room nebulization - dispersing a fine mist of HOCl throughout an enclosed space - offers environmental viral control without the toxicity profile of traditional chemical disinfectants. Both approaches are mechanistically sound, grounded in immunology, and immediately applicable to a situation like the one aboard the Hondius.
For a healthcare setting - or a cruise ship quarantine - these interventions provide options that are currently not part of the mainstream discussion, despite being more readily available and deployable than waiting for antiviral drugs or vaccines to materialize.
The Real Story: Not Novel, Not Unprecedented, Manageable With Known Tools: Here is what has actually happened: A virus that has been endemic to South America for decades, that has killed people in Argentina with predictable (if tragic) regularity, made its way aboard a ship. A small number of people became ill. Some required hospitalization. Some died. This is sobering. It is also not unprecedented.
The Andes strain has demonstrated human-to-human transmission capability in previous outbreaks, most notably in Argentina and Chile. The scientific literature on this is clear. But it is also clear that such transmission is rare, limited, and occurs in specific epidemiological contexts. The current outbreak aboard the Hondius does not represent a fundamental change in the virus’s behavior, nor does it represent the emergence of a novel pathogen or a newly adapted viral isolate with enhanced transmissibility.
What it represents is what it has always represented: a zoonotic pathogen, maintained in rodent populations in South America, capable of occasional spillover into human populations, and - in rare circumstances - capable of limited human-to-human spread. The mechanisms for this are well understood. The epidemiology is well documented. The problem is not that we lack understanding. The problem is that understanding doesn’t sell advertising.
What Should Be Done: In practical terms, the response should be straightforward:
o Environmental control: Rigorous disinfection of the ship, with attention to rodent exclusion and control. This is basic public health, and it is effective.
o Isolation of symptomatic cases: Standard precautions for any respiratory pathogen, with appropriate PPE for healthcare workers and caretakers.
o Mucosal protection: For close contacts and healthcare personnel, nasal spray formulations of HOCl provide a rational, evidence-based mechanism for reducing viral load at the primary site of infection. This is not speculative - it is grounded in the immunobiology of innate immunity.
o Environmental aerosol control: Room nebulization with HOCl offers a mechanism for controlling viral particles in shared spaces, reducing the risk of airborne transmission without relying on vaccines, antivirals, or extended lockdowns.
None of these interventions require regulatory approval they have not already received. None require years of development. All of them operate at the level of prevention and early intervention, not crisis management.
The Broader Point: The press narrative around the Andes strain is designed to provoke anxiety about a novel threat. But this threat is not novel. It is an iteration of a longstanding zoonotic reality - one that has been managed, more or less poorly, for decades. The difference now is that we have additional tools available: targeted antimicrobial aerosols, evidence-based topical antivirals, and a much better understanding of respiratory transmission dynamics than we had even five years ago.
The positioning from official sources - there is no cure, no vaccine, therefore nothing can be done - is not only factually incomplete, it is strategically indefensible. It ignores the possibility of prevention at the source, upstream intervention before systemic disease takes hold, and environmental controls that can materially reduce transmission risk. If the goal is to inform the public and protect health, this conversation needs to expand. If the goal is to maintain a narrative of helplessness and fear, then the current approach makes perfect sense. I’ll leave it to readers to decide which is happening."
Dr. Robert W. Malone is the Chief Medical Officer of Curativa Bay (CuraClean Technologies). He is a physician, scientist, and the inventor of foundational mRNA vaccine technology. He has served on multiple biotechnology and biodefense advisory bodies and writes regularly on pandemic preparedness, medical countermeasures, and public-health policy.
“I recently returned from two weeks of ‘high level’ meetings with a group of Bankers [this is code for two weeks of subsidized debauchery with bankers] in Rome. As I sat at my desk, I was hoping to motivate myself to pursue a more chaste and pure existence. Unfortunately the Polar Vortex experienced by North America drained me of my good intentions. The bone chilling cold once again had me reaching for my trusty bottle of Jack Daniels for warmth and inspiration. My time in Rome had not been completely ‘wasted’, so to speak. I had secured a contract from the European Central Bank [ECB] to research the topic of Derivatives. I was to present my findings at the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos later that month.
One Quadrillion Dollars: Too Big to Understand: Dear Reader, please resist your natural instinct to click away from this commentary at the mere mention of the word ‘Derivatives’. I am acutely aware of the boredom and befuddlement that this word instills in you. At this point I would simply remind you that the derivatives market is estimated to exceed one quadrillion dollars. [This incredibly large number is actually an accurate estimate of the size of the derivatives marketplace]. (In addition, unfunded liabilities, like medical care and pensions, are at least $300 trillion globally. If we add gross derivatives of $1.5 quadrillion, which are likely to turn into real debt as counterparties fail, the total debt and liabilities are above $2 quadrillion. Source - CP) Despite the fact the derivatives market eclipses the market capitalization of the NYSE by an exponential factor, it is not discussed, reported or tracked because it is simply too complicated and opaque. Warren Buffet’s, comment about ‘weapons of mass financial destruction’ seem to be the beginning and end of any discussion on the topic.
Derivatives are a parasitic financial instrument: For those of you who are unschooled on the topic of derivatives, allow me to explain. Derivatives are abstract financial instruments, which, like parasites, can attach themselves to all manner of stocks, bonds, mortgages, commodity, debt obligations, currency exchange, interest rate fluctuations… in short, anything. Derivatives exist in the ‘twilight zone’ of the banking industry. Like black holes, their presence and massive influence are acknowledged yet the true influence on the global economy of this quadrillion dollar ‘event horizon’ is only theoretical. The near catastrophic disasters at Barings, JP Morgan and AIG are small examples of their destructive powers. However I will offer you Investorpedia’s more clinical definition. “A security whose price is dependent upon or derived from one or more underlying assets. The derivative itself is merely a contract between two or more parties.”
You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, {Kenny Rogers}: One might think of derivatives as a random game of online poker: you don’t know who your opponents are [your counterparty], you do not know if you will be paid [counterparty risk], you do not know if the game is legitimate, [lack of regulation], and your opponents are probably able to see what cards you are holding, [market domination by large banks]. As well, you are making bets that in many instances neither you nor your opponents fully grasp [complexity of the market]. With each wager you are potentially risking not only your current assets, but your future assets as well. [Leverage]. In some cases you do not know how much you are betting. Imagine as well, that you play this game every day with trillions of dollars that you do not have. This is the global derivatives market.
It is all Greek to me: Alternately, as derivatives are often created as a form of insurance, think of them as an insurance policy in which you:
• Do not know the name, address or any contact information relating to your insurer.
• Do not know if your insurer has the resources to pay a claim.
• Do not understand the insurance contract as it is written in Greek.
• Must rely on a shadowy third party [ISDA] to decide what constitutes a claim. [Credit event]
• Do not know whether your insurer is itself vulnerable to the particular risk you have contracted with it to insure.
His moral lassitude allowed him to excel: Dear Reader, I digress, let me return to my narrative. The aforementioned lucrative contract was secured by two key factors. The first factor was my friendship with Gustavo Laframboise-Pierre, the European Central Bank’s [ECB] Global Director of Statistical Creation. My relationship with such an esteemed member of the ECB traced its roots back to Gustavo’s days as a bookie for Wall Street’s elite. I referred so much business to him we became very good friends. His station in life took a remarkable turn when a senior member of the ECB, while in New York on a ‘fact finding mission’ [this is code for visiting his favorite escort] made an outrageously large and incorrect wager on the outcome of the 2010 World Cup. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, the term ‘derivative’ is commonly used in sports betting!) The only way the debt could be settled was for the banker to offer Gustavo a highly paid sinecure at the ECB. Gustavo became the Global Director of Statistical Creation with the responsibility of making up statistics to support whatever fantastical and deranged policies Central Banks around the world were initiating. Remarkably Gustavo’s aptitude for numbers, coupled with his moral lassitude allowed him to excel at his job. It was Gustavo who invented the term ‘Quantitative Easing’ as a benign euphemism for runaway money printing.
Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise’: The second factor that secured the contract for me was a chance remark I made as Gustavo and I enjoyed a ‘working lunch’, with several senior executives who represented many of the world’s largest banks. The working lunch was held at Rome’s exclusive Blue Moon Gentleman’s Club. As the featured dancer left the stage I happened to mention to the assorted luminaries that I had read an article on the subject of derivatives. The bankers looked at me with something akin to awe and reverence. Gustavo whispered to me that the topic of derivatives had been discussed in a recent conference call by the world’s bankers. The conclusion reached at that time was that derivatives were too boring and too complicated for bankers to grasp. Despite JP Morgan’s very public, expensive and monumentally stupid 5 billon dollar derivatives trading loss bankers still choose to remain cocooned in a ‘Cloak of Ignorance’ as it relates to derivatives. Thomas Gray’s lament that ‘where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise’ could easily be the mission statement of the global banking industry.
I had read a complete article, I was a ‘de facto expert’: Dear reader, I am not being rude and offensive in my remarks about JP Morgan. Surely you would agree with me that any large bank that loses $5 billion in derivatives trading is ignorant of the properties and risks of derivatives? The fact that I had actually read a complete article on the subject made me a de facto expert on the topic. Gustavo, in an act of kindness, seized the opportunity on my behalf and pressed his colleagues to retain me to research the topic and make a presentation at the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos. Thus I found myself preparing to dazzle the world’s financial elite with my insights into the risks and opportunities presented by the global derivatives market. In a rush to complete the deal before the next dancer took the stage it was agreed that I would receive the standard banker’s honorarium of $5,000/hour up to a maximum of ‘whatever it takes’.
At $5,000/hr., you would surely not expect me to be brief: I sat at my desk, sipping ‘Gentleman Jack‘ while I looked out at the bleak weather that made Brooklyn so depressing in the winter. My TV was tuned to CNBC, as I waited for Wall Street to open. I put my crack pipe in its case. Dear reader like many of you [especially those of you who work in the banking industry], I have learned all too well, the dangers of mixing crack cocaine with whiskey on an empty stomach. [Have we not all indulged, to our regret, that particular venial sin at least once?] I collected my thoughts and began to write my lengthy tome on the derivatives market. Dear reader at $5,000/hr., you would surely not expect me to be brief.
Lions and Tigers and Bears [and derivatives] Oh My!: I do not want to frighten you. However I will share with you some facts about derivatives that will have you reacting as nervously as Dorothy did in the Wizard of OZ when confronted with the thought of Lions and Tigers and Bears. ‘Derivatives, Oh My’, will I suspect be the words that escape your lips.
• Size of the derivatives market: 1.5 – 2.4 QUADRILLION dollars
• Who regulates the Derivatives market? LOL, Regulation is a ‘work in progress’ dominated by the big banks.
How dangerous are derivatives? They almost destroyed the world’s largest insurance company, AIG, as well as the global economy. Seriously, you don’t remember? Just Google the words AIG and collapse. Alternately you might call Jamie Dimon at JP Morgan and ask him if Derivatives are dangerous. Have recent regulatory changes made the world economy less likely to implode from a derivative fuelled explosion? Actually as one might expect, thanks to regulatory enhancements that had to run the gauntlet of bank lobbyists prior to their approval, the world’s economy is in more danger than ever from a derivatives inspired meltdown.
‘Duck Dynasty’ and ‘Real Housewives’ to the rescue: How much attention does the Main Street pay to the world’s largest and riskiest casino? [AKA: the Derivatives market]. If one were to Google the word derivatives, one will get 34 million ‘hits’. Alternately, if one does a similar search for the words stocks bonds and markets one will get 400 million ‘hits’. The 34 million ‘hits’ generated by a Google search of the word derivatives compares unfavorably with the 37 million ‘hits’ generated by a search of the term ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’, the 209 million ‘hits’ generated by a search of the term ‘Duck Dynasty’ or the 713 million ‘hits’ generated by searching the word ‘Sex’. One must conclude that only when derivatives are discussed by one of the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ posing nude in bed with one of the cast members of ‘Duck Dynasty’ will derivatives receive the attention they deserve.
Reality bites: Derivatives can only be discussed as ‘Fake News’: Where can one find insights and coverage of the Derivatives Market in the mainstream media? Is Fox News or CNN my best choice? Sadly Dear reader your best choice would have been The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Despite the calamitous risk and obvious importance of this topic only Mr. Stewart and his team dared to share information with the general public. Given the outlandish and frightening risks derivatives constitute to the Global Economy, perhaps Mr. Stewart was correct that it can only be discussed in the ‘Fake News’ format.
Derivatives: better suited for Ripley’s Believe it or not than the Wall Street Journal: How bizarre is the derivatives market? How is the concept of money for nothing propagated by the derivatives market? What is the difference between a chump and a champion in the derivatives market? I will leave it to Shah Gilani in his excellent post in “Wall Street: Insights and Indictments“ to explain. Suffice to say that one is able to buy insurance in the derivatives market. One can then cause the insured event to occur by collaborating with a third party. All that remains is to collect the insurance proceeds. [To be clear the proceeds are usually in the tens of millions of dollars.] The derivatives market makes the Ponzi-like money printing of the Central banks look like ‘Amateur Hour’.
Who needs ‘Crack’? Dear reader, usually I needed a little help from my friend Mr. Crack to feel as paranoid and euphoric as I did at this moment. Paranoid, because it was clear to me that the derivatives market was truly a weapon of mass financial destruction. Euphoric because I knew that my research would make my ‘Derivatives’ presentation at the World Economic Forum a groundbreaking ‘tour de force’ that would vault me to the forefront of ‘talking heads’ that pass for experts on mainstream media. Fame, fortune, a book deal and perhaps that elusive Nobel Prize would surely follow. My twenty minutes of painstaking research, had made me one of the world’s foremost experts on this complex subject. [BTW Dear Reader by reaching this point in my commentary, you surely now know more about derivatives than most bankers and traders on Wall Street. You should be quite pleased.]
David, you are an imbecile: I decided to reach out to my pal Gustavo and share some of my findings. I knew that it was 3:30 in the afternoon in Paris so I would be able to catch Gustavo just as he arrived for another day of work. “Gustavo”, I intoned, breathless with excitement. “I have uncovered some startling, controversial, and frightening information about derivatives. The luminaries and leading lights who attend my presentation in Davos will be utterly gobsmacked by my revelations. The media will undoubtedly ensure that my findings go viral. The topic of derivatives will no longer exist only in the dark shadows of the banking industry. The danger that derivatives pose to the global economy will permeate the consciousness of Main Street.” Gustavo sighed, “David, I do not know if you are stupid or naïve. Every September when you bet $1,000 that the perennially atrocious Toronto Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup, I assumed you were simply ingenuous. Your comments today have convinced me that you are an imbecile. Let me assure you that those will not be the findings that you present at the World Economic Forum. Rather you will inform the world that derivatives are a financial instrument that is being used by brilliant and prudent financial professionals to mitigate risk and make the world a safer place.”
The ‘Truth Will Out’: “Gustavo”, I groaned, “that would be a lie. I cannot in good conscience, sacrifice my integrity, my honor, my core beliefs and my good name simply to placate Wall Street and the Central Banks. I have a responsibility to my readers on Main Street to inform them, to warn them, to prepare them for the likely financial chaos that derivatives will cause”. “Gustavo”, I said with iron willed determination, “the Truth Will Out”. “David”, Gustavo snarled, “If you change the tenor of your presentation and indicate that derivatives are the most benign form of financial instrument, somewhat akin to Treasury bills, we will double your fee”.
Move along nothing to see here: Dear Reader, in summary let me say that derivatives are the most benign form of financial instrument, somewhat akin to treasury bills. Gustavo’s immutable logic and persuasive argument was instrumental in helping me reach the correct conclusion regarding the risks to the Global economy posed by derivatives. So Dear Reader, move along, there is nothing to see here.”
From November 1, 2022, and more terrifyingly worse now... "Egon von Greyerz (EvG) stores gold for clients at the biggest private gold vault in the world buried deep in the Swiss Alps. EvG is a financial and precious metals expert. EvG is a former Swiss banker and an expert in risk. He says the risk in the global markets has never been this high.
EvG explains, “Credit has increased dramatically through derivatives. All instruments being issued now by banks, pension funds, stock funds, it’s all synthetic. There is no real underlying payments in anything almost. Therefore, my estimate for derivatives would be at least $2 quadrillion, and I think that is probably conservative. Then, we have debt on top of that of $300 trillion, and we also have a couple hundred trillion dollars of unfunded liabilities. So, we are talking about $2.5 QUADRILLION, and that’s with a global GDP of $88 trillion. So, there is a disaster waiting to happen, and especially because all this created money has created no value whatsoever. I always knew this would collapse, and it’s taken longer than I expected, but I think we are at the end of a major era.
These derivatives, at some point soon, will actually turn into debt. Central banks will have to cover all the outstanding liabilities of the commercial banks as we are seeing now with Credit Suisse, Bank of England and etc. This is going to happen across the board. Whether it’s called derivatives or called debt, as far as I am concerned, it’s the same thing. It will have the same effect on the world financial system, which will be disastrous, of course.”
EvG says the derivative markets were simply a way for financial institutions to carry debt and not show it on their balance sheets. In the end, everything will balance out. EvG goes on to say, “Nobody can repay the debt, and they can’t even pay interest. So, therefore, when the debt implodes, so will the assets that were financed by this debt. So, both sides of the balance sheet have to come down. Whether it comes down by 50%, 75% or 90%, I don’t know. All I think about is risk, and the financial system will not survive in its present form. Central banks only use one kind of medicine, and that is more printed money. Now, you are getting negative returns on printed money. So, that is not going to save anything.
Sadly we are looking at a situation when this system will start to implode. The rich are still rich, but the poor are really poor. Overall in the UK, Germany and most European countries, people don’t have enough money to live. This is a human disaster already. With food costs going up 25% and energy going up the same and gasoline, interest rates and rents, people don’t have enough money, and that is happening now. It’s a human disaster of mega proportions. It’s so sad, and governments will have no chance of doing anything about it. The risk is increasing exponentially, and it is going to get worse.” There is much more in the 43-minute interview.
"Last time financial writer and precious metals expert Bill Holter (aka Mr. Gold) was on USAW, he said don’t even think about selling any gold or silver. One of the big reasons why he is still saying this is the news last week that the US debt to GDP ratio is now at 100%. Mr. Gold says, “I have talked for years about how the entire world runs on credit. What we started this off with is the United States is officially a banana republic. It’s 100% debt to GDP. When I was in school in the early 1980s, the definition of a banana republic is when it hit 100% debt to GDP. In this instance, it is the issuer of the world’s reserve currency that is admitting it is officially a banana republic. Everything runs on credit. The biggest issuer of credit is the United States, and if their credit card gets declined, then what does that do to the real economy? Nothing will work. There will be nothing on shelves. Stores will be dark. Should you store food? The answer is yes because something really bad is right in front of us. It’s a credit collapse.”
So, the Trump Administration is not going to just let everything collapse. What is the contingency plan? Mr. Gold says, “I think the contingency plan is oil. They went after Maduro. So, they have taken control of the Venezuelan oil supply. They want to do the same thing elsewhere. I mean President Trump said in his own words, he said basically we are pirates, and we are going to take Iran’s oil. I think that’s the plan. It is to control more oil and keep the petrodollar system alive. Is it going to work? I think, ultimately, it will not work because the numbers are far too upside down at this point. If you really look under the hood, the Federal Reserve itself is insolvent. And we have not even talked about derivatives. Derivatives are the gorilla in the room. In the derivative market, you are looking at $2 quadrillion in derivatives. Once you get things off sides, and an example of that is look at the British yields, they are back to pushing 7%. They are back to rates that are the same as in 1998. So, all of the easing is gone. Everything runs on credit, and once you gum up credit, you start affecting the real economy. Then, there is less cash flow in the real economy, and that spills over into the financial economy and financial markets.
Derivatives are the biggest danger. Warren Buffett calls them mass financial destruction. It should not go unnoticed that Berkshire Hathaway is now sitting on $400 billion of cash, which is the biggest hoard they have ever had. In 1998, the financial media called him an idiot, and what happened in 2000? Buffett was an idiot again in early 2008. What happened in late 2008 and 2009? Buffett is not an idiot, and for him to say now that there is nothing out there of value to buy and I’d rather have cash, that tells you a pretty big story.”
On silver, Holter says, “I think we are reloading for a much larger event than we saw in November to January. That 90 days was spectacular, but I think this next move is going to dwarf that.” Holter says many big analysts are predicting silver much, much higher by the end of the year." There is much more in the 42-minute interview.
Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he goes one-on-one with financial writer and precious metals expert Bill Holter/Mr. Gold as the “credit collapse” in the financial system begins.
"There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success."
“And the great owners, who must lose their land in an upheaval, the great owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away. And that companion fact: when a majority of the people are hungry and cold they will take by force what they need. And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed. The great owners ignored the three cries of history. The land fell into fewer hands, the number of the dispossessed increased, and every effort of the great owners was directed at repression. The money was spent for arms, for gas to protect the great holdings, and spies were sent to catch the murmuring of revolt so that it might be stamped out. The changing economy was ignored, plans for the change ignored; and only means to destroy revolt were considered, while the causes of revolt went on.”
“...and in the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.”
- John Steinbeck, "The Grapes Of Wrath"
Freely Download "The Grapes Of Wrath", by John Steinbeck, here:
"A new Gallup poll shows that 55% of Americans now believe their financial situation is getting worse, the highest level recorded since Gallup began tracking the data in 2001. Even during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID lockdown collapse, Americans were not this pessimistic about their personal finances. That alone tells you the mainstream narrative claiming the economy is “booming” is completely disconnected from reality.
The most important detail is why people feel this way. Roughly 31% of Americans now cite the cost of living as their biggest financial problem, while concerns over energy prices surged 10 percentage points in a single year to the highest level since 2008. Americans are not reacting to one isolated issue. They are being hit simultaneously by rising food costs, insurance premiums, housing expenses, property taxes, debt payments, utility bills, and fuel prices.
This is precisely what happens during the later stages of a debt cycle. Governments and central banks spent years artificially suppressing interest rates while flooding the system with liquidity. Asset prices exploded higher, but the real economy underneath weakened steadily. Once inflation returned and rates normalized upward, the pressure shifted directly onto households.
The media continues pointing to stock indexes and headline employment numbers while ignoring collapsing consumer confidence underneath the surface. Ordinary people do not measure the economy through the S&P 500. They measure it through grocery bills, rent, gas prices, insurance costs, and monthly debt payments.
The poll also found that 62% of Americans are now worried about not having enough money for retirement, while concerns about paying normal monthly bills and maintaining living standards remain near record highs. Credit card anxiety has risen sharply as well, reflecting how dependent many households became on debt simply to maintain basic consumption.
The ECM has projected rising volatility into this decade because sovereign debt crises eventually infect household confidence and consumer behavior. Governments can manipulate statistics temporarily, but they cannot force consumers to feel financially secure when purchasing power keeps deteriorating."
"What will be unfolding at unprecedented scale during the months ahead is dislocations, screaming imbalances, severe bottlenecks and absolute physical shortages in global markets for upwards of 200 million BOE of liquid petroleum, LNG, LPGs and hydrocarbon processing by-products - fertilizer, sulfur, helium, aluminum etc. These unfolding dislocations will be roiling the global economy like never before.’"- David Stockman
Youghal, Ireland - "A recent poll reported in The Hill: "Most Americans say Trump is mentally, physically unfit to serve effectively." This may be good news to Republicans and maybe even to Trump himself. It gives him space to exit the stage with at least some grace; he can simply retire. He knows that if the Democrats get control of Congress the investigations and indictments won’t be long in coming. Who made those near-perfect trades based on Trump’s upcoming announcements? How much did the Trumps make from their World Liberty Financial scheme; what exactly were the Trump boys offering investors? Should the Navy officers who killed alleged drug importers stand trial for murder?
This may not be just idle day-dreaming. There is a powerful undertow that is poisoning Trump’s poll numbers, threatening Republican control of Congress, and menacing the empire itself. We’re entertaining the idea that the double blockades on the Strait of Hormuz may have repercussions on the banks of the Potomac. Trump’s blue water troops besiege the Indo-Aryans (Iranians), while the Iranians besiege the world oil market. POTUS bets that the Iranians will yell ‘uncle’ first.
Maybe. But Iranians have little debt. Who would lend to them? Their economy is like a walnut - small, dry, with a hard shell. You could press it in a vise, but you’d be unlikely to get much juice. The entire public debt of Iran is only $162 billion - about 25% of its tiny GDP.
How different is the economy of the US and much of the rest of the world - so lush, airy and soft...so easily squeezed. In the US, the feds owe $39 trillion...130% of GDP. Including private debt, for every dollar of output, Americans owe $2.50.
Iran can afford to suffer. Its people are used to it. They have been hammered by years of US sanctions and steeled white hot by bombing and killings. In the US, on the other hand, even a temporary lapse in broadband coverage could set off a revolution. As for a dollar-a-gallon increase in the price of gasoline, come the next election...it is probably a ‘regime changer.’
So far, the world has missed out on about 900 million barrels of oil. They didn’t disappear...they just got stuck in the ‘pipe. And Goldman Sachs estimates that even if the two sides decide to work out a re-opening of the strait today, the total accumulated loss of ready oil supplies will be 1.6 billion barrels.
A rich, debt-drenched society is fragile. A poor, pay-as-you-go economy is not. So, what happens when a billion barrels of oil are removed from the world economy...that is, when people have to spend more to get gas, fertilizer, sulphur, etc? How do voters feel if they have to wait in line for gasoline...or their supermarkets run out of potatoes? And what do farmers do when they can’t afford fertilizers? These ‘dislocations’ are already in the ‘pipe.’ They took the place of the oil that wasn’t delivered. How it will work, exactly...what link will break first - we’ll find out.
But look for higher interest rates. Because the savings that might have been used to fund past borrowing must now be directed to current expenses. Also, lenders begin to think their money might be safer at home, rather than lent out to people who may, or may not, be able to pay it back. And the higher rates could easily hasten the decline of the leveraged empire, which may be the real historical intent. Why else send three Israeli advocates – Kushner, Lutnick, and now Stewart – to bargain for peace…unless you didn’t want to succeed?
"The Middle East is on a knife’s edge. As tensions surge between Iran, Israel, and the United States, new developments suggest the situation could spiral far beyond what anyone expected. In this urgent analysis, Dr. Marandi breaks down why Iran may be preparing a move that could redefine the entire conflict - and why its impact could shock the world.
Recent reports show the situation rapidly escalating despite a fragile ceasefire. The U.S. has launched naval operations to secure shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, while clashes, drone attacks, and regional strikes continue to unfold. At the same time, missile and drone attacks have expanded beyond Israel, hitting key infrastructure in the Gulf and raising fears of a wider regional war. Behind the scenes, high-level discussions are already underway as leaders prepare for the possible collapse of the ceasefire and a return to full-scale conflict. With global oil supplies, shipping lanes, and alliances at stake, every move now carries massive consequences.
Dr. Marandi explores what Iran’s next step could be, whether escalation or strategic deterrence is more likely, and why this moment may define the future of the region. Is the world heading toward a turning point - or something far more dangerous? Get the full breakdown, real context, and expert insight beyond the headlines."
"Iran just dropped another LEGO video that will make every American cry. A prayer from afar. A song for every worker, dreamer, soldier, farmer, mother, veteran, and soul carrying the weight of uncertain times. “God Bless America” is a cinematic LEGO music video blending emotional storytelling, country gospel energy, and powerful American imagery into one unforgettable experience. From Kansas farms and Detroit factories to crowded city streets and quiet church pews, this song speaks to the struggles, division, hope, and resilience of ordinary Americans. This isn’t about politics. It’s about people. About faith during hard times. About unity when the world feels broken. Created with cinematic LEGO animation, emotional orchestration, and heartfelt lyrics, this project was made to remind people that hope can still shine through darkness. If this song moved you, share it with someone who needs encouragement tonight."
"The economy is sending clear warning signs, and today we break down the real story behind layoffs, inflation, and global conflict. Major corporations are cutting jobs at an alarming pace, blaming AI while quietly reducing costs and reshaping the workforce. At the same time, inflation is not cooling as promised—gas prices, food, insurance, and everyday essentials continue to rise, putting more pressure on working Americans. On top of that, global tensions and war are directly impacting your wallet, from higher fuel costs to rising travel expenses. The housing market remains distorted, debt is exploding, and central banks are admitting that people are getting poorer. This is the reality behind the headlines - and why so many people feel like the economy is getting worse, not better."
Dragflation: Declining Economic Growth And Rising Inflation"
"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."
"Galaxies of the Virgo Cluster are scattered across this deep telescopic field of view. The cosmic scene spans about three Full Moons, captured in dark skies near Jalisco, Mexico, planet Earth. About 50 million light-years distant, the Virgo Cluster is the closest large galaxy cluster to our own local galaxy group. Prominent here are Virgo's bright elliptical galaxies from the Messier catalog, M87 at the top left, and M84 and M86 seen (bottom to top) below and right of center.
M84 and M86 are recognized as part of Markarian's Chain, a visually striking line-up of galaxies vertically on the right side of this frame. Near the middle of the chain lies an intriguing interacting pair of galaxies, NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, known to some as Markarian's Eyes. Of course giant elliptical galaxy M87 dominates the Virgo cluster. It's the home of a super massive black hole, the first black hole ever imaged by planet Earth's Event Horizon Telescope."
"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."
“Johannes Kepler is best known for figuring out the laws of planetary motion. In 1610, he published a little book called “The Six-Cornered Snowflake” that asked an even more fundamental question: How do visible forms arise? He wrote: "There must be some definite reason why, whenever snow begins to fall, its initial formation is invariably in the shape of a six-pointed starlet. For if it happens by chance, why do they not fall just as well with five corners or with seven?"
All around him Kepler saw beautiful shapes in nature: six-pointed snowflakes, the elliptical orbits of the planets, the hexagonal honeycombs of bees, the twelve-sided shape of pomegranate seeds. Why? he asks. Why does the stuff of the universe arrange itself into five-petaled flowers, spiral galaxies, double-helix DNA, rhomboid crystals, the rainbow's arc? Why the five-fingered, five-toed, bilaterally symmetric beauty of the newborn child? Why?
Kepler struggles with the problem, and along the way he stumbles onto sphere-packing. Why do pomegranate seeds have twelve flat sides? Because in the growing pomegranate fruit the seeds are squeezed into the smallest possible space. Start with spherical seeds, pack them as efficiently as possible with each sphere touching twelve neighbors. Then squeeze. Voila! And so he goes, convincing us, for example, that the bee's honeycomb has six sides because that's the way to make honey cells with the least amount of wax. His book is a tour-de-force of playful mathematics.
In the end, Kepler admits defeat in understanding the snowflake's six points, but he thinks he knows what's behind all of the beautiful forms of nature: A universal spirit pervading and shaping everything that exists. He calls it nature's "formative capacity." We would be inclined to say that Kepler was just giving a fancy name to something he couldn't explain. To the modern mind, "formative capacity" sounds like empty words.
We can do somewhat better. For example, we explain the shape of snowflakes by the shape of water molecules, and we explain the shape of water molecules with the mathematical laws of quantum physics. Since Kepler's time, we have made impressive progress towards understanding the visible forms of snowflakes, crystals, rainbows, and newborn babes by probing ever deeper into the heart of matter. But we are probably no closer than Kepler to answering the ultimate questions: What is the reason for the curious connection between nature and mathematics? Why are the mathematical laws of nature one thing rather than another? Why does the universe exist at all? Like Kepler, we can give it a name, but the most forthright answer is simply: I don't know.”
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