"Has Automation Stolen What It Means to Be Human?"

"Has Automation Stolen 

What It Means to Be Human?"

By Jessica Rose

"I want to begin this article by reminding everyone reading it of the old parable of the man fishing alone on a beach. It goes something like this, more or less.

There’s a man fishing alone on a beach with a single, simple fishing pole. Another man walks up to him and asks him why he doesn’t buy a boat to fish because then, he could catch more fish. The fisherman responds by saying: “Then what?” The passer-by then says in a matter-of-fact way: “Well then, you could buy an even bigger boat and catch even more fish with the money from selling all of that fish!”. The fisherman responds by saying: “Then what?” The passer-by confounded that the fisherman does not seem to understand what he is telling him balks: “Then you could retire and hire others to do the fishing for you!” The fisherman responds by saying: “Then what?” Even more confounded, the passer-by says: “Then you could have more time to spend doing what you love!”

The fisherman looks at him. And waits. For understanding. The passer-by then comprehends perhaps for the first time in his life that the long and often exploitative path to simplicity is pointless. The fisherman, even with all of the money in the world would be doing precisely what he already was doing.

Here’s a more “well-known” version if you like.

One day, a wealthy businessman (or investment banker, in some tellings) was vacationing in a small coastal village in Mexico. He watched as a lone fisherman rowed his little boat back to shore with just a few large fish. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of the catch and asked, “How long did it take you to catch those?” “Only a little while,” the fisherman replied. “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” the businessman asked. “I caught enough for my family’s needs today,” the fisherman said.

The businessman pressed on: “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” The fisherman smiled and answered, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."

”The businessman scoffed. “I’m a Harvard MBA – I can help you. You should spend more time fishing. With the extra money, buy a bigger boat. With the bigger boat, catch even more fish, then buy several boats and build a fleet. Cut out the middleman, sell directly to processors, open your own cannery. Control production, processing, and distribution. You’d eventually move to the city, expand to other locations, run a growing enterprise.”

The fisherman listened patiently, then asked, “And how long would all that take?” “Fifteen, maybe twenty years,” the businessman replied. “And then what?” the fisherman asked. The businessman laughed. “That’s the best part! When the time is right, you announce an IPO, sell your company stock to the public, make millions – become very rich!” “Millions… and then what?” the fisherman repeated.

“Then,” the businessman said triumphantly, “you could retire! Move to a small coastal village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings to sip wine and play guitar with your friends.” The fisherman looked at him quietly for a moment, then smiled and said, “But that’s exactly what I’m already doing.” The businessman stood there, speechless, as the simple truth sank in: the fisherman was already living the very life the ambitious man dreamed of achieving – after decades of grinding pursuit…

I was walking today and knew that I had to write up some of the thoughts I had about automation being the key to the demise of what it means to be human. To be connected. To work hard. To truly earn. To truly learn.

It got me thinking about one of the first examples of automation that was actually a really neat idea: the water wheel. Water wheels and similar devices appeared as early as the 1st century BC (or possibly earlier in rudimentary forms) among the Greeks and Romans, used for grinding grain. These harnessed flowing water to drive machinery continuously without constant human input, representing early power automation in industry. Similar water-powered trip-hammers existed in ancient China over 2,000 years ago.

The most commonly cited earliest true example of automated control – a self-regulating feedback mechanism – is the improved water clock (clepsydra – comes from Ancient Greek meaning to pipette…) invented by the Greek engineer Ctesibius around 270–250 BC in Ptolemaic Egypt (Alexandria)…

Automatic devices can be divided into subdivisions based on function. Some devices help and are “non-invasive” in terms of imposing on the human part of humanity. Some devices are quite “invasive” in this same way.

Many – if not all – devices made in the last century fall into the latter subdivision. I think of these as inflictions upon humanity masquerading as “convenience”, as opposed to devices that make our human lives better. Many examples exist and play a daily role in our human lives today. Some examples:

Single-serve pod coffee makers: Ah yes! The promise of instant coffee without that brewing hassle! Only problem is what you actually get is mediocre taste, generation massive plastic waste, ingestion of microplastics and likely forever chemicals, high cost per cup relative to traditional methods, and most importantly, the removal of the simple ritual of making coffee that many find relaxing or social.

Smartphones: How many times a day does someone on one of these dumb devices almost bump into you? How many people do you see on a daily basis who are literally in phone-land – more akin to zombies – than engaged with nature or others? With constant notifications and app ecosystems, they automate communication, information access, navigation, and entertainment into one device for seamless convenience! The only catch is that they contribute to addiction, reduced attention spans, social isolation, anxiety, poorer sleep, and less presence in real-life and social interactions.

Robotic vacuum cleaners: Why vacuum or sweep when you can off-shore that duty to a robot! They handle floor cleaning autonomously so you “don’t have to”. But guess what? They require more setup/maintenance than promised, miss spots, create noise/annoyance, and don’t replace the satisfaction or light exercise of manual vacuuming, perhaps even as a family activity, eliminating yet another social interaction. But hey, you get yet another gadget to charge and repair.

Microwave ovens: Ah yes. Where would we all be without being able to speed up heating of forever plastic/endocrine disrupting nightmares that are TV dinners? But hey, isn’t that the ultimate convenience? Guess again! This encouragement of ingesting ultra-processed ready meals to save you time also reduces home cooking skills/pleasure, alter social family meal rituals, and shift food prep away from shared or mindful preparation toward solitary, rushed eating. Not very social or human-like behavior.

And now we get to the real winners in our list:

Smart home devices and always-on assistants: Oh man, where do I start with these? Automation of climate control, lighting, music, shopping lists, etc., for effortless living! Why wouldn’t you want to not take the time to get up off your ass and turn the thermostat yourself when a computer can do it for you! I am being sarcastic, of course, because all of these so-called smart devices foster dependency, privacy erosion (constant listening), increased screen time fragmentation, and a subtle loss of basic self-reliance or analog comforts. Loss of self-reliance. Isolation. Loss of social structure.

Automatic/self-checkout kiosks and app-based ordering: Welcome to the new world where all you have to be able to do is use your index finger to have all of your shopping needs fulfilled! No more actually having to walk to the grocery store or market! No more talking to other people at the market! No need to go slow! Ingest! Ingest! Ingest! Consume! Consume! Consume! They’re so awesome, aren’t they? Speeding up transactions by removing cashiers and human interaction. Stupid humans: so error-prone and slow! But hey, guess what? These apps and self-checkouts also increase frustration (computers never make mistakes – wait, is the printer not printing again?), reduce jobs/social contact, and turn routine errands into impersonal, glitch-prone experiences that feel more alienating, than efficient.

I could go on… but these examples are sufficient for now. Notice how in every single example, there is an inherent de-socialization component baked in. Hmm. Is this to ensure that our lives are made more convenient, or is this something more insidious? Having said that, I want to stress how deeply disturbed I am every single day that these things are being demanded by humans.

No demand; no supply. Why are we demanding these things? Do people really and truly believe that these idiotic things make their lives easier/better? Where does the line get drawn between convenience and relinquishing self-sovereignty? Does this line get drawn? Have we not opted into slavery? Why are supply chains even a thing? The only supply chain that any human used to need is the line from their own goat to fresh cheese.

This automation of human work, to me, poses a real existential crisis that is the root reason why we are “where we are” today as a society. Giving up these wonderful ritualistic habits that translate to being able to eat that day, or being with our loved ones, or sleeping well after a day of hard work, has led us nowhere but isolated and dependent. 

I simply hope that this article is shared profusely and that perhaps, even one person will wake up from their digital slumber as a result of reading it. Notice that I didn’t even touch on AI or human-replacing robots: the ultimate automation enforcing a permanent vacation from human-ation. Be like the man alone fishing on the shore and never succumb to the lie that the act of DOING is something that needs to be sped up or removed from the human equation. DOING is not far from BEING. Love and light."

- https://www.malone.news/

Joel Bowman, "Misogynist Monsoons"

"Misogynist Monsoons"

by Joel Bowman

“The Prophet married her when she was six years old and he 

consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, 

and then she remained with him for nine years.”

~ Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 63, Hadith 122

Buenos Aires, Argentina - "We were going to write to you about the engines of history today, dear reader, continuing on from last week’s Notes. But the past will have to wait. Today, it is the lunacy of the present that presses upon us...

Every now and then, in moments of apparent weakness, when your correspondent’s well-honed cynicism is found wanting, we discover, in our quietude, a sympathetic fiber inclined toward the chattering class of the unpopular press. They can’t all be that fatuous, that doltish, that cruel and stupid, we reckon on behalf of our colleagues in the mainstream news, forgetting for a moment the gushing Niagara of evidence to the contrary.

Surely, we reason, there exists some redeeming artifact aboard the sinking legacy-media vessel, some part worth rescuing from the barbed wire canoe as it slips beneath the waves, a single salvageable utensil ensnarled in the mangled, rusted heap?

Misogynist Monsoons: Then a headline catches our eye, like the one below, and our basic sanity awakens as though from deep, restorative slumber. From Australia’s ABC:

According to the article: The growing intensity of natural disasters across Asia is leading to increasing numbers of child marriages of girls, according to aid organizations... Climate change is now believed to be a leading contributor to more frequent and younger nuptials. Yes, gentle reader, you read that correctly: climate change... “leading contributor”... younger nuptials. That is to say, the region that suffers the highest incidence of child bride-making in the world, a practice it has committed for millennia on end, is suddenly the passive victim of the most utterly precedented phenomenon of all: the weather.

And just when you thought it was safe to turn on the air conditioning again! One can only imagine the imminent surge of misogynist monsoons, white supremacist squalls, transphobic tsunamis and cisgender cyclones boiling on the horizon of the author’s short-circuiting imagination.

The Other Untouchables: And there’s a bonus aspect for the managerial class, too. Since global warming climate change comes directly from your indulgent, first world lifestyle (per Paris’s deputy mayor and petit fonctionnaire du jour), the child bride travesty is, naturally, your fault. (And really, whose else could it be?)

Continues the article: "After a natural disaster in Bangladesh, child marriages can surge by up to 39 per cent, according to the International Rescue Committee. South Asia, one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change, accounts for most of the world’s child marriages. Bangladesh has the highest rate in Asia according to Plan International, with more than 50 per cent of girls married before they turn 18."

Nevermind that taking child brides is a canonical tenet of Islamic (and Hindu) texts, and that it has been a stain on that part of the world since Mo played striker for the Mecca Minors. Noticing that Bangladesh is a 91% Muslim country (plus 8% Hindu)... and that Muslims (and Hindus) are by far and away the largest perpetrators of this practice... the reader will nonetheless search the article in vain for any keywords associated with those, shall we say, “untouchable” faiths. Nothing to see there, the author assures us, for although... “Twelve million girls are tipped to become child brides this year, according to Plan International. Child marriage is a global problem across cultures and religions.”

Sure it is. Suuure it is. Such hard-hitting journalism, by the bye, comes courtesy of the gutless sham that is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which owes its regrettable existence to A$1.2 billion in annual government subsidies, the vast majority of which is funded directly by Australian taxpayers via federal allocations.

This is the same vestigial organ of the fourth estate that served up such editorial enviro-gruel as, “How Trump inspired this queer-centered, climate change religion” (April, 2025), “Fears climate change is contributing to gender-based violence” (June, 2025), and “Climate Crisis Threatening Disabled Australians’ Access to Nature” (December, 2025).

The Prejudice of Diminished Standards: Still, calling the individual author of this article silly names would be easy. So here goes... You, unlettered scribe at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, are a saddle-goose. A fopdoodle. A wantwit. You are thirty seconds in an hourglass. A two-slice loaf. A dolthead. A mooncalf. A bipedal ass. Moreover, you are a traitor to your sisters, whom you twice scorn... first for running cover for actual child rapists, and second for accepting a taxpayer-funded salary to gaslight your readers into thinking it is they who are to blame!

What next, Minneapolis air conditioning addicts at fault for a seasonal surge in Somali FMG? Gas stove usage in East Birmingham responsible for an uptick in transgender bridal miscarriages in Pakistan? And what about bride burnings, a regional practice among both Hindus and Muslims in which women are brutally murdered by the groom’s family for not carrying sufficient dowry into the marriage.

At about ten so-called “dowry deaths” per hundred thousand women in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand alone, the beastly perpetrators of these crimes claim victims at roughly the rate of gun-related homicides in Houston, Texas. (Though with about five times the population, the absolute numbers are commensurately higher.) Naturally, we hear a lot about the latter from the gun-shy ABC... not so much about the former.

Hmm... Does the ABC consider climate change a “major driver” of systematic femicide in Uttarakhand, too? Or perhaps there’s a cowboy in a pick-up truck somewhere in Texas who needs castigating for the direct actions of heinous individuals he’s never met on the other side of the planet?

Because as we all know, nothing bad can ever happen in the world without it first and foremost being the exclusive fault of civilized people in developed, western societies politely going about their business. And therein lies the stealthy prejudice of diminished standards, as mindlessly practiced by ABC authors and their irksome ilk across mainstream media; the relentless, solipsistic drive to center themselves in the universe as the cause and cure of all life’s ills.

Meanwhile, according to their own website, 2026-27 funding for the ABC was recently boosted by a cool A$87 million, in large part due to new allocations for its Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy. Which is to say, expect more bile from the Corpse’s talentless pool of global hall monitors and do-gooders. That ahead of us, we’ll gladly return to our musings on the past, next time. As always, stay tuned for more Notes From the End of the World."

- https://joelbowman.substack.com/

John Wilder, "Sam Colt Made Men Equal. A.I. Won’t Even Try"

"Sam Colt Made Men Equal. A.I. Won’t Even Try"

by John Wilder

“Where’d you get the pistol?” 

– "No Country for Old Men"

"Birthdays are healthy. Studies show that people who have more of them live longer. If you have the tallest man on Earth and add him to a group of 99 random people, the average height might move upwards a quarter of an inch, at most. But if you have the richest man in the world and add him to a group of 99 random people, on average, everyone has about 80 billion dollars depending on the day and the price of SpaceX®.

Elon Musk is roughly 14,000,000 times richer than the average person on Earth. Height follows a normal distribution, what we would call a classic bell curve. The tallest man might tower over the rest, but he’s not 2,651.5 miles tall. Hmm, I should stop now before I give Elon ideas.

Wealth does not follow a normal distribution. At the extremes it follows a Pareto distribution. A very small slice of people command the overwhelming share of resources, and there’s no natural ceiling. Wealth concentrates, it does not equalize.

Back when armor was the ultimate status symbol and battlefield insurance, only the wealthy could afford a full suit of plate. A knight on horseback was a walking fortress. Then came the longbow at places like Agincourt. English yeomen, common men with years of training, unleashed volleys that turned French heavy cavalry into pin cushions. Arrows punched through armor and the French knights dropped their baguettes and cigarettes.

The expensive advantage of the mounted noble evaporated in the mud and guns finished the job. A peasant with a musket could drop a lord in plate armor from a hundred yards with a few weeks of training. Rifles and pistols made personal defense cheap and portable. The playing field for violence flattened dramatically.

God made men. Sam Colt made them equal. And that equality made governments think twice before pushing too hard. Warfare tells the same story on a larger scale. World War II was industrial attrition on an insane level. The Soviets threw bodies at the problem to sponge up German bullets. The Americans threw factories, ships, tanks, and aircraft at it until the Axis ran out of everything else.

The U.S. and Soviets spent the Cold War trying to outproduce each other in the old game. America won that contest so thoroughly that the rules changed. Ukraine, and then Iran’s proxies, show how much the game had shifted. Precision munitions, satellite targeting, real-time communications, and swarms of cheap drones turned expensive armor and aircraft into expensive liabilities rather than decisive weapons.

A few thousand dollars in drone parts plus some clever targeting can take out a multi-million-dollar tank or ship. The battlefield is being equalized again by access to information and cheap, smart munitions. Technology handed smaller players and irregular forces new leverage. The pattern repeats across history and across domains. Some tools compress advantages. Others stretch them.

I saw a newsletter yesterday where the author declared war on the very idea of merit. His working definition of merit is talent plus effort. He hates it. Talent, in his view, is unearned, an accident of birth or genes. He was honest enough to admit talent isn’t evenly distributed. Talent follows the same normal curve as height or I.Q. No one walks around with a 14-million I.Q.

Luck plays a role too. To reach the absolute pinnacle usually requires talent, effort, and luck. For most people with average talent and average luck. Effort is the variable that actually moves the needle.

The writer seemed personally offended that some people could be smarter or more disciplined and therefore succeed more. He celebrated A.I. because it might let anyone churn out a business plan that once required years of education and experience. That will knock the smart kids down a peg!

He’s half right about A.I.’s impact. It is already replacing or augmenting large chunks of cognitive work. Roughly 21% of American adults are functionally illiterate, and 54% read below a sixth-grade level. Hand those folks a powerful AI and they can produce a decent business plan. Whether they can understand or execute on it is another question entirely since it’s like giving an orangutan the equations for orbital mechanics.

For someone with a 100+ I.Q., A.I. is different. It removes drudgery and raises the floor on what one person can accomplish. It lets a competent individual punch above his weight. A.I. will not be distributed evenly, however. The versions available to the wealthy won’t look at all like what will be available to the masses. They’ll use it to design new products, optimize supply chains, and compound advantages. Teens will use a simpler version to make cat pictures.

This is the recurring story of transformative technology. The printing press took knowledge out of the hands of a tiny literate elite and scattered it across Europe. Ideas that once required a monastery or a university could spread in weeks. Books got cheap. Literacy rose. The printing press was an enormous equalizer. Yet the biggest winners built printing empires, publishing houses, and networks of distribution and could control mass media. The tool rewarded those who could organize capital and talent around it.

The same pattern appeared with electricity. It lit homes, powered factories, and created entirely new industries. Living standards rose across the board. But the big utilities and manufacturers built vast fortunes and influence. The automobile obliterated distance in a way no king could have done. It reshaped cities, commerce, and daily life. Henry Ford’s moving assembly line made cars affordable.

Equalizer, but the companies and supply chains that scaled the technology created concentrated wealth and power that still echoes today. Personal computers and the early internet followed suit. A motivated individual could reach a global audience or start a business with almost nothing but time and ingenuity. Barriers collapsed. Then the platforms that captured attention and data became trillion-dollar businesses that could control commerce and shut off channels to those with controversial opinions.

Technology does not care about fairness. It amplifies existing differences in talent, effort, discipline, and capital allocation. It lowers some barriers and erects new ones built around mastery of the new tools themselves. The commie newsletter writer wanted the talented and hardworking punished for their advantages. He wanted A.I. to act as a great leveler downward. But effort still compounds and preparation still matters. The distribution of outcomes stays wide. The bell curve isn’t going anywhere.

Is A.I. an equalizer, then? No. It will act like wealth. It won’t be equally distributed. Carlos from the Jiffy-Lube® will only have the free tier of ChatGPT©. Elon will have versions of weapons-grade A.I. available to him. Probably figuring out how to make himself 2,651.5 miles tall."

- https://wilderwealthywise.com/

"The Battle For The Strait Of Hormuz Will Show Whether The World Can Survive Without Oil From The Persian Gulf Or Not"

by Michael Snyder

"Now we are going to get to see what really happens to the global economy when the Strait of Hormuz is completely closed for an extended period of time. Before the war, approximately 45 percent of all Asian oil imports traveled through the Strait of Hormuz. The Chinese normally get more oil from the Middle East than anyone else, and the amount of crude oil that they have been importing has collapsed. That is not sustainable for the Chinese, and they are getting very angry. At the same time, relentless drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure have forced the Russians to buy gasoline from India. If the Strait of Hormuz remains completely closed for months, global energy supplies will get extremely tight and the price of oil will go into unprecedented territory.

On Monday, the world was shocked when two oil tankers from the United Arab Emirates were struck by Iranian cruise missiles…"Iranian cruise missiles hit two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member and injuring eight, the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense said Monday.

The attacks took place when the tankers - Mombasa and Al Bahiyah - were sailing through the strait’s southern shipping lane, which hugs the coast of Oman, the defense ministry said. Iran has insisted that commercial ships use a separate lane near the Iranian coastline and seek permission from Iranian authorities. Iran has not publicly commented on the apparent attacks. The deceased crew member and six injured crew members were Indian nationals, and two of those injured were from Ukraine, according to the United Arab Emirates."

The Iranians have warned that any commercial vessels that attempt to travel through the Strait of Hormuz without their permission are subject to attack, and they were not bluffing. On Tuesday, three Liberian-flagged oil tankers were also attacked by the Iranians…"Oman’s Maritime Security Center said Tuesday that three Liberian-flagged oil tankers were targeted in separate incidents off the Omani coast. The center said the Al Bahyah, owned by Al Bahyah Inc. and based in the United Arab Emirates, was targeted about 9.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate. A Royal Navy of Oman vessel is monitoring the situation, and 18 crew members were evacuated by nearby maritime vessels, while three crew members remain missing, officials said."

These attacks have brought traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a standstill. And that isn’t going to change any time soon, because the IRGC just announced that “as long as the US evil stays in the region, not a drop of oil and gas will be exported from the region”…"Amid ongoing cross-Gulf attacks today between Iranian and US forces, the IRGC says they targeted enemy weapons and parts storages in Bahrain and Kuwait. This after the US appeared to attack some critical Iranian infrastructure on coastal islands. The IRGC has issued a fresh statement via state media on Tuesday, saying that “as long as the US evil stays in the region, not a drop of oil and gas will be exported from the region.”

Wow. That is quite a strong statement. Meanwhile, President Trump has decided to impose a “full blockade” on all ship traffic coming to and from Iran…

This is really happening. Even before these latest moves, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen to the lowest level in five weeks…Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dipped on Sunday to the lowest number in five weeks as the latest U.S.-Iran escalation reignited concerns among ship operators about safety at the key oil and LNG chokepoint.

Now that the Iranians have shown that they are quite serious about enforcing the closure of the Strait, it is highly unlikely that shipping companies will dare to test them. Even the smallest oil tankers cost millions of dollars, and so if you own one you don’t want it getting sent to the bottom of the ocean by a cruise missile.

And the U.S. Navy is going to make sure that no Iranian oil gets shipped out of the region. The U.S. blockade of Iran is really going to upset the Chinese, because they depend on that oil. On Tuesday, they demanded the resumption of “normal and safe passage” through the Strait…"A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson demanded “normal and safe passage” be restored in the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday before the United States reinstated a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports.

Lin Jian made the remark when asked by Iranian state media about the renewed U.S. military blockade and if Beijing is “prepared to take any concrete steps to mitigate the impact of these measures against Iran and deepen its economic and military cooperation with Iran.” President Donald Trump said Monday he was reinstating the blockade because Iran broke the recent ceasefire deal by launching missile attacks on commercial tankers and by trying to shut down the Strait of Hormuz.

“China is deeply concerned over resumed military conflict in the Gulf region. China calls on relevant parties to heed the strong call for peace and stability from the region and beyond, remain calm and exercise restraint, safeguard the hard-won ceasefire, avoid the return of war and more importantly, prevent the fighting from spreading and hurting more innocent people,” Lin Jian said Tuesday."

The good news for the Chinese is that they have larger oil reserves than anyone else. But the bad news is that China’s crude oil imports have fallen to exceedingly low levels…"China’s crude oil imports crashed to a decade-low in June as the reduced flows through the Strait of Hormuz hiked oil prices and reduced refiners’ appetite for costly crude. Overall Chinese imports of crude oil plunged by 41.3% in June from a year earlier, to just 29.27 million tons, or 7.12 million barrels per day (bpd), according to official Chinese customs data released on Tuesday."

If this crisis goes on for long enough, China will be forced to do something to restore the flow of oil. But unless one side chooses to back down, there is no chance that this crisis will end any time soon.

As a former Pentagon official named Jason H. Campbell has pointed out, bombing Iran from the air will not be enough to win the battle for the Strait of Hormuz… “It’s very difficult to envision any scenario where you could satisfactorily secure the Strait of Hormuz absent ground forces,” Campbell said. Doing so would require tens of thousand of troops, Campbell said, not only to take out Iran’s hidden munitions but to secure hundreds of miles of coastline and large swaths of inland territory. The U.S. troops would likely face insurgent attacks. Standing up that kind of force would take a few months and include “very high costs,” Campbell said."

This is what I have been saying all along. Hitting Iran from the air is not going to get the job done, but sending ground forces in is unthinkable. So where do we go from here? For now, the bombing of Iran continues. On Tuesday the Iranians hit Bahrain with cluster munitions, and the U.S. response has already begun…

We are also being told that the U.S. is attacking Qeshm Island once again… Projectiles hit Iran’s Gulf island of Qeshm near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, Iran’s state broadcaster reported, citing local officials who blamed the U.S. “At 19:00, a location on Qeshm Island was struck by projectiles from the American enemy,” Hormozgan governor’s office said, according to IRIB.

This is it. Iran War 3 is here. The IDF is not an active participant yet, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is telling the Iranians that they will get hit really hard if Israel is attacked… Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran Tuesday that Israel would hit back if attacked. “Do not count on things remaining quiet if you attack us,” Netanyahu said at a conference in Dimona, in Israel’s southeast, in a video released by his office. “The days are over when someone strikes us and we don’t hit back with a decisive blow.”

I think that it is just a matter of time before Iranian missiles are flying toward Israel once again. And then things will get really crazy. Speaking of crazy, the Houthis just bombarded an airport in Saudi Arabia after one of their own airports got bombed by the Saudis…Meanwhile, the threat of Iranian-backed Houthis being dragged into the war was raised when Saudi Arabia said the militant group fired ballistic missiles and drones at a civilian airport in the kingdom’s southwestern city of Abha.

The attacks were the first major fighting since a 2022 truce that ended a seven-year conflict between northern Yemen’s Tehran-aligned rulers and several Arab countries. The militant group had accused the Saudis of bombing its airport in the capital Sanaa to prevent the landing of a plane returning the Houthi delegation from the funeral of Iran’s slain leader, Ali Khamenei.

A full-blown war between the Houthis and the Saudis could erupt at any time. And that could drag in Pakistan, because the Pakistanis recently signed a mutual defense pact with the Saudis… Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Tuesday in a post on X that Pakistan “strongly condemns” the Houthi ballistic missile attacks targeting southern Saudi Arabia, calling them a violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and reaffirming Islamabad’s “unwavering support” for its security.

The time for talk is over. I am convinced that we will soon witness some absolutely shocking escalations, and the Strait of Hormuz will be closed for an extended period of time. This will be a real test of the resilience of the global economy. Oil stockpiles are being steadily depleted, and once they get low enough there will be a tremendous amount of panic."

- https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/

o

"Iran War 3.0: Where Did This All Go Wrong?"

Dan, I Allegedly, "Over 60% Of Households Are Swiping Plastic For Groceries"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, 7/15/26

"Over 60% Of Households Are 

Swiping Plastic For Groceries"

"For millions of Americans, groceries are no longer something they can pay for with cash. Rising food prices, inflation, and higher living expenses are forcing many households to rely on credit cards, buy now pay later programs, and even savings just to put food on the table. In today's video, I break down the latest consumer survey, rising grocery costs, missed credit card payments, shrinking emergency funds, and why so many families are falling behind despite working harder than ever. We also discuss the broader economic warning signs, including inflation, energy prices, SNAP program changes, rising household expenses, bankruptcies, and what these trends mean for consumers and the economy. If you're concerned about personal finance, the cost of living, inflation, or where the economy is headed next, this video explains why borrowing money for groceries has become one of the clearest signs that financial stress is spreading across America."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Corporate Greed Is Robbing Americans... And It's Only Getting Worse"

Full screen recommended.

The Unfolded States, 7/15/26

"Corporate Greed Is Robbing Americans... 

And It's Only Getting Worse"

"From hidden fees and shrinkflation to subscriptions that never seem to end, many Americans feel like everyday life has become more expensive in ways that are not always obvious. But is corporate greed really to blame, or is there more to the story? In this video, we separate emotion from evidence by examining real consumer experiences alongside the latest economic data. We'll explore why restaurant bills keep growing, how pricing strategies influence buying decisions, what shrinkflation actually means, why subscriptions are everywhere, and whether rising corporate profits fully explain today's higher costs. Instead of relying on viral clips alone, this analysis looks at the economic mechanisms shaping the way Americans spend money today. If you've ever looked at a receipt and wondered where the extra charges came from, or questioned whether you're getting the same value for your money as you did a few years ago, this discussion is for you. Watch until the end and share the purchase or fee that made you question today's economy the most."

 Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"The U.S. Can't Stop What's Coming Next"

Full screen recommended.

Col. Larry Wilkerson, 7/15/26

"The U.S. Can't Stop What's Coming Next"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Iran No Longer Bound by MoU, Adjusts Tactics"

"Iran No Longer Bound by MoU, Adjusts Tactics"

by Larry C/ Johnson

"Iran’s announcement declaring the MoU dead was quickly followed by a definitive change in Iran’s military tactics. On Tuesday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi: "‘The U.S. has not merely ‘violated’ the Memorandum of Understanding. With tonight’s action (naval blockade) the MoU has been completely dismantled. Iran is no longer bound by the MoU."

Until today Iran scrupulously adhered to the MoU… It did not attack US targets until it was first attacked. In other words, Iran responded to US attacks. In addition, Hezbollah - an ally of Iran - in accordance with the first paragraph of the MoU stopped attacking Israel. Now that the MoU is no longer considered in effect I anticipated that we will see a surge in Hezbollah attacks against Israeli positions in southern Lebanon.

Iran, for its part, did not wait for the US to strike on Tuesday. Instead it launched attacks against US targets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Two Emirati tankers, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were struck by two Iranian cruise missiles in the strait’s southern lane, inside Omani territorial waters . Per the UAE Defense Ministry: one crew member killed (an Indian national, aboard the Mombasa), eight wounded with four serious - six Indians and two Ukrainians. Fires broke out on both vessels and were brought under control; both sustained material damage.

The IRGC had already declared the strait closed “until further notice” early Sunday July 12, warning no vessel would be permitted to transit. It labeled the two “violators,” alleging they had turned off their navigation systems, ignored warnings from the “Strait of Hormuz Security Control Center,” and deviated from the designated route. It further claimed the US military had tried to provoke vessels into an “illegal route,” and that the tankers were disabled after “choosing to transit through a mined path” - warning that using routes not designated by the Guard would produce “nothing but regret,” delays in reopening the strait, and a global energy crisis.

Iran attacked four main targets:

Bahrain (Fifth Fleet HQ) -  missile-alert sirens sounded early Tuesday. Nabeel Alhamer, media adviser to the King, said Bahraini air defenses intercepted and destroyed Iranian aerial attacks. But video footage tells a different story. The IRGC destroyed the Patriot radar, the Fifth Fleet’s air-control radar, and the C-RAM early-warning radar, plus a satellite communications center and weapons-support warehouses at Juffair. No confirmed casualties reported.

Kuwait - Iranian state TV said the army struck US facilities and equipment with drones. In this fourth wave of Operation Nasr, Iran targeted and completely destroyed a warehouse belonging to the Kuwait and Gulf Link Holding Company (KGL) in Mina Abdullah, Kuwait using two drones. KGL is the main U.S. Army support center in West Asia.

Jordan - the IRGC confirmed via Fars that it targeted a US air base with ballistic missiles Tuesday, and called on Jordanians to dismantle American bases in their country. Jordan claimed it intercepted four Iranian missiles, but video footage shows at least four missile impacts on the ground.

Naval/air - Iranian state TV said the army targeted a “hostile” US vessel with cruise missiles, and Iranian media claimed the IRGC shot down a US MQ-1 over Hormuz.

If the US attacks continue the IRGC has threatened to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait: The IRGC warned that having already closed oil and gas export routes from the Strait of Hormuz, the enemy should now expect additional energy corridors - beyond the Strait of Hormuz - to be shut down, targeting routes that serve US and allied interests.

Remember my previous reports that the CATS, aka Crisis Action Teams, had been deactivated? Well, at least CENTCOM is back up a running 24/7, which means the US attacks are going to continue for several days and Iran will continue to attack the US bases throughout the region that are involved with those attacks. So far the US has limited its strikes to the western coast of Iran that abuts the Persian Gulf, but Trump announced today his intent to strike bridges and power plants in the interior of Iran. If he does this then Iran will likely attack the power systems in the Gulf Countries that are facilitating with the US attacks. Looks like it is going to be a very hot July."

- https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/

"Alert! Trump Will Launch Ground War! I Cracked The Oil/Diesel WW3 Code! UK Preps For Nuke War!"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 7/14/26

"Alert! Trump Will Launch Ground War! I Cracked 

The Oil/Diesel WW3 Code! UK Preps For Nuke War!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Empty Shelves Found In These Grocery Stores... Food Shortages Coming!?"

Adventures With Danno, 7/14/26

"Empty Shelves Found In These Grocery Stores...

 Food Shortages Coming!?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Gerald Celente, "I Want You!"

Strong language alert!

Gerald Celente, 7/14/26

"I Want You!"

"This week’s Trends Journal cover features Benjamin Netanyahu as Uncle Sam, raising a question millions of Americans are asking: Who is leading the U.S. into war? We examine how the Iran War unfolded, why Washington expected to be drawn in, and the growing influence of Israel on U.S. foreign policy. Plus, the latest on what’s next for stocks and the global economy. Get the critical geopolitical and economic trends shaping the future - before they become the headlines. 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."

 -  https://trendsjournal.com/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"We All Run Out of Time"

Full screen recommended.

oltsev art,

"We All Run Out of Time"

"We always thought we had more. More summers. More mornings. More time to say the things we meant to say. This one is for everyone who has ever wished the clock would just slow down. And for everyone who finally made peace with the fact that it won't. All lyrics and concepts are written by me. Every frame is built from my own creative direction - the story, the feeling, the reason it exists. I use AI the way a composer uses an instrument. I'm open about that. I think AI can be something more than noise. It can carry real human emotion if a real human puts it there first. Not for speed. Not for shortcuts. I want you to feel it. Thank you for watching."

Delta King's Blues, "I Need a Minute, Damn"

Full screen recommended.

Delta King's Blues,

"I Need a Minute, Damn"

"Sometimes it ain’t quitting… it’s just catching your breath. “I Need a Minute, Damn” is a worn-down, straight-from-the-bones Delta King’s Blues tune about slowing up, leaning on something solid, and letting the world wait for once. A heavy, dragging acoustic guitar sets the pace, every note sounding like a pause you earned. The harmonica sighs deep and low, saying what your body’s been trying to tell you all day. The groove stays slow and grounded, built for moments when standing still is the only smart move. This is blues for people who ain’t done - just tired. No drama. No weakness. Just honesty. Sometimes strength looks like stopping for a minute."

Native Elder, "Why the Empty House Makes People Miserable"

Full screen recommended.

Native Elder,

"Why the Empty House Makes People Miserable"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: 2002, "The Dreaming Tree"

Full screen recommended.

2002, "The Dreaming Tree"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"A mere seven hundred light years from Earth, toward the constellation Aquarius, a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. A total of 90 hours of exposure time have gone in to creating this expansive view of the nebula.

Combining narrow band image data from emission lines of hydrogen atoms in red and oxygen atoms in blue-green hues, it shows remarkable details of the Helix's brighter inner region about 3 light-years across. The white dot at the Helix's center is this Planetary Nebula's hot, central star. A simple looking nebula at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly complex geometry."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

"Permanent Adolescence: The Epidemic That Will Destroy America"

"Permanent Adolescence:

The Epidemic That Will Destroy America"

by Dr. Paul Kindlon

"As a Humanities professor I have had the opportunity to teach psychology and social psychology for more than 25 years. Occasionally the knowledge obtained in these areas allows me to analyze and understand social behavior and certain cultural trends. This is one those occasions.

If one is able to observe American society in an objective manner (granted no easy task) it becomes clear that the country is suffering from an epidemic of arrested emotional development (AED). This particular illness is characterized by some combination of: addiction, greed, immaturity, fear, blame, shame, resentments, anger, confusion and suffering. What it means is that the vast majority of Americans are stuck in adolescence exhibiting behavior like lying, negative attitudes, disobedience and disrespect, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, and issues of sexuality.

One has only to watch American movies or television shows to get a snapshot of juvenile, puerile, and base comedy characteristic of adolescent humor. It’s no accident that 48 year old Jimmy Fallon is essentially the “eternal teenager” performing comedy that mostly includes bathroom humor and gags that are based on and appeal to a silly sense of immaturity. The other darling of late-night shows in America is Stephen Colbert, age 58, who specializes in insulting public figues in an overtly adolescent display of negative attitude and disrespect.

Another hallmark of AED is to evade responsibility and blame others for failure. One had only to observe the millions of Hillary supporters to understand this phenomenon. Also common for AED sufferers is to show disrespect in sophomoric ways usually by damaging property as we see with monuments being defaced and destroyed.

Teenagers, of course, tend to have identity issues often involving sexuality which is another phenomenon all too apparent in contemporary America. It’s almost uncool not to be LGBT or confused about your gender nowadays. Soon there will be as many genders as ice-cream flavors for it’s all just a matter of taste!

In terms of cognitive activity AED is characterized by exaggeration and over-simplification. If you are angry with one of your parents you might refer to them as a Nazi or Fascist.

This negative attitude now is extended to anyone who disagrees with you and can be seen in slogans such as “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA”. Adults are an endangered species. The cognitive effect of exaggeration and over-simplification leads to irrationality and confusion. Witness the millions of people who think they are being anti-racist by opposing “White Supremacy”. No anthropologist on earth would claim that “White” is a race (although a Neo- Nazi would) It’s not even a primary color. The Irish were discriminated against for more than a hundred years in America due to Anglo-Saxon racism yet the Irish are considered “white”. There are millions of Americans of German, Polish, and Scandinavian extraction who have been working-class and lower for a very long time. Are these “white people” guilty of supremacy? Against whom? Themselves?

Of course, what the protestors should be focusing on is class and not race which is really an arbitrary term. Unfortunately. the progressive movement in America has gone from “Occupy Wall street” to “occupy the public bathroom”. Lenin would be turning over in his grave – if he had one. With regard to alcohol and drug addiction in America, the statistics are startling. Opiod addiction alone is becoming a national health issue as is depression. Alcohol abuse, of course, is also quite high. Lying is also becoming commonplace. It used to be just politicians and lawyers who were known to “play with the truth”. Nowadays the mainstream media is widely seen as a mainstream of lies with CNN now wearing the title of FAKE NEWS.

The teenage attempt to rebel and show disobedience is often manifested through the use of profanity intended to shock the older generation. Gratuitous profanity is pervasive in American culture and has replaced the imagination as a form of creativity. It is not an accident that Pussy Riot – a group of “performance artists” using profanity in a Cathedral considered sacred to “shock” the Russian public and “disobey” authorities – has found a home in the United States and been befriended by Madonna, another symbol of eternal adolescence. Her AED was on full display when she publicly offered all men fellatio if they voted for Hillary Clinton. And as any rebellious teenager attempting to shock the “older generation” she had to announce that she “swallows”. Stay classy, Madonna. Keep in mind we’re talking about a 63 year old mother of six.

You see…if everyone is a teenager there is no adult supervision. That is the problem. After an autopsy is conducted years from now to ascertain how and why the American Empire expired, the obituary will include multiple causes of death and AED will be listed prominently. Perhaps a precocious teenager will be allowed to write the epitaph that will read…”When extended, the bridge between adolescence and adulthood can take a heavy toll”.

- https://www.lewrockwell.com/

○

“Most people don’t grow up. It’s too damn difficult. What happens is most people get older. That’s the truth of it. They honor their credit cards, they find parking spaces, they marry, they have the nerve to have children, but they don’t grow up. Not really. They get older. But to grow up costs the earth, the earth. It means you take responsibility for the time you take up, for the space you occupy. It’s serious business. And you find out what it costs us to love and to lose, to dare and to fail. And maybe even more, to succeed."

- Maya Angelou

"Too Often..."

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word,

a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring,

all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

- Leo Buscaglia

"I Visited The Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces

Full screen recommended.

Travelling with Russell, 

"I Visited The Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces"

"Park Patriot in Moscow, Russia has one of the most famous Churches in all of Russia. The Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces is a spiritual symbol of Russia, glorifying the greatest victory of life over death."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Oh my God...

The Daily "Near You?"

St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Thanks for stopping by!

"A Long March..."

"The life of Man is a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain, towards a goal that few can hope to reach, and where none may tarry long. One by one, as they march, our comrades vanish from our sight, seized by the silent orders of omnipotent Death. Very brief is the time in which we can help them, in which their happiness or misery is decided. Be it ours to shed sunshine on their path, to lighten their sorrows by the balm of sympathy, to give them the pure joy of a never-tiring affection, to strengthen failing courage, to instill faith in times of despair."

- Bertrand Russell

○

This always suggested the March of Mankind through the ages, and, 

incredibly, despite ourselves, we march on to our unknown destiny...

Vangelis, "Alpha"

"Reality Avoidance"

"Reality Avoidance"

by Morris Berman

"It’s quite amazing how the news is endlessly about nonsense. Filler, is what I call it. Very little of this has anything to do with reality, which the Mainstream Media and the American people avoid like the plague. What then is real?

1. The empire is in decline; every day, life here gets a little bit worse; all our institutions are corrupt to varying degrees; and there is no turning this situation around.

2. A crucial factor in this decline and irreversibility is the low level of intelligence of the American people. Americans are not only dumb; they are positively antagonistic toward the life of the mind.

3. Relations of power and money determine practically everything. The 3 wealthiest Americans own as much as the bottom 50% of the population, and this tendency will get worse over time.

4. The value system of the country, and its citizens, is fundamentally wrong-headed. It amounts to little more than hustling, selfishness, narcissism, and a blatant disregard for anyone but oneself. There is a kind of cruelty, or violence, deep in the American soul; many foreign observers and writers have commented on this. Americans are bitter, depressed, and angry, and the country offers very little by way of community or empathy.

5. Along with this is the support of meaningless wars and imperial adventures on the part of most of the population. That we drone-murder unarmed civilians on a weekly basis is barely on the radar screen of the American mind. In essence, the nation has evolved into a genocidal war machine run by a plutocracy and cheered on by mindless millions.

Most Americans hide from these depressing, even horrific, realities by what passes for ‘the news’, but also by means of alcohol, opioids, TV, cellphones, suicide, prescription drugs, workaholism, and spectator sports, to name but a few. This stuffing of the Void is probably our primary activity. In a word, we are eating ourselves alive, and only a tiny fraction of the population recognizes this."

- https://morrisberman.blogspot.com/

o

Read it and weep...

"Morris Berman On A Dumbed-down America"

by RoryLitwin

Excerpt: "I am sharing a passage from Morris Berman’s book from a few years ago, "The Twilight of American Culture." Berman has generously agreed to let me share this passage, which is about the deplorable state of ignorance of the American people. The facts and data in this passage are a bit old, but all signs suggest that things have gotten worse since then, not better. "The Twilight of American Culture," pp. 33-40.

Turning to Item (c),The collapse of American intelligence, we find a picture that is unambiguously bleak. The following data are going to seem invented; please be assured, they are not.

– Forty-two percent of American adults cannot locate Japan on a world map, and according to Garrison Keillor (National Public Radio, 22 March 1997,) another survey revealed that nearly 15 percent couldn’t locate the United States (!). Keillor remarked that this was like not being able to “grab your rear end with both hands,” and he suggested that we stop being so assiduous, on the eve of elections, about trying to get out the vote.

– A survey taken in October 1996 revealed that one in ten voters did not know who the Republican or Democratic nominees for president were. This is particularly sobering when one remembers that one of the questions traditionally asked in psychiatric wards as part of the test for sanity is “Who is the president of the United States?”

– Very few Americans understand the degree to which corporations have taken over their lives. But according to a poll taken by Time magazine, nearly 70 percent of them believe in the existence of angels; and another study turned up the fact that 50 percent believe in the presence of UFOs and space aliens on earth, while a Gallup poll (reported on CNN, 19 August 1997) revealed that 71 percent believe that the U.S. government is engaged in a cover-up about the subject. More than 30 percent believe they have made contact with the dead.

– A 1995 article in the New York Times reported the results of a survey that revealed that 40 percent of American adults (this could be upward of 70 million people) did not know that Germany was our enemy in World War II. A Roper survey conducted in 1996 revealed that 84 percent of American college seniors cannot understand a newspaper editorial in any newspaper, and a U.S. Department of Education survey of 22,000 students in 1995 revealed that 50 percent were unaware of the Cold War, and that 60 percent had no idea of how the United States came into existence.

– At one point in 1996, Jay Leno invited a number of high school students to be on his television program and asked them to complete famous quotations from major American documents, such as the Gettysburg address and the Declaration of Independence. Their response in each case was to stare at him blankly. As a kind of follow-up, on his show of 3 June 1999, Leno screened a video of interviews he had conducted a few days before at a university graduation ceremony. He did not identify the institution in question; he told his TV audience only that the students he had interviewed included graduate students as well as undergraduates. The group included men, women, and people of color. Leno posed eight questions, as follows:

1. Who designed the first American flag? Answers included Susan B. Anthony (born in 1820,) and “Betsy Ford.”

2. What were the Thirteen Colonies free from, after the American Revolution? One student said, “The East Coast.”

3. What was the Gettysburg Address? One student replied, “An address to Getty;” another said, “I don’t know the exact address.”

4. Who invented the lightbulb? Answers included Thomas Jefferson

5. What is three squared? One student said, “Twenty-seven;” another said, “Six.”

6. What is the boiling point of water? Answers included 115 degrees?

7. How long does it take the earth to rotate once on its axis? The two answers Leno received here were “Light years” (which is a measure of distance, not time,) and “Twenty-four axises [sic].”

8. How many moons does the earth have? The student questioned said she had taken astronomy a few years back and had gotten an A in the course but that she couldn’t remember the correct answer.

It is important to note that not a single student interviewed had the correct answer to any of these questions. Leno’s comment on this pathetic debacle says it all: “And the Chinese are stealing secrets from us?”

– A 1998 survey by the National Constitution Center revealed that only 41 percent of American teenagers can name the three branches of government, but 59 percent can name the Three Stooges. Only 2 percent can name the chief justice of the Supreme Court; 26 percent were unable to identify the vice president. In the early 1990s, the National Assessment of Education Progress reported that 50 percent of seventeen year olds could not express 9/100 as a percentage, and nearly 50 percent couldn’t place the Civil War in the correct half century–data that the San Antonio Express News characterized as evidence of the “steady lobotomizing” of American culture. In another study of seventeen year olds, only 4 percent could read a bus schedule, and only 12% could arrange six common fractions in order of size.

– Ignorance of the most elementary scientific facts on the part of American adults is nothing less than breathtaking. In a survey conducted for the National Science Foundation in October 1995, 56 percent of those polled said that electrons were larger than atoms; 63 percent stated that the earliest human beings lived at the same time as the dinosaurs (a chronological error of more than 60 million years;) 53 percent said that the earth revolved around the sun in either a day or a month (that is to say, only 47 percent understood that the correct answer is one year;) and 91 percent were unable to state what a molecule was. A random telephone survey of more than two thousand adults, conducted by Northern Illinois University, revealed that 21 percent believed that the sun revolved around the earth, with an additional 7 percent saying that they did not know which revolved around which.

– Of the 158 countries in the United Nations, the United States ranks forty-ninth in literacy. Roughly 60 percent of the adult population reads as much as one book a year, where book is defined to include Harlequin romances and self-help manuals. Something like 120 million adults are illiterate or read at no better than a fifth-grade level. Among readers age twenty-one to thirty-five, 67 percent regularly read a daily newspaper in 1965, as compared with 31 percent in 1998.

– In a telephone survey conducted in 1998, 12 percent of Americans, asked who the wife of the biblical Noah was, said “Joan of Arc” (reported on National Public Radio, 13 June 1998.)

– In 1997, as a hoax, the attorney general of the state of Missouri submitted a proposal to an international academic accrediting agency (not identified) to establish an institution he named Eastern Missouri Business College, which would grant Ph.D’s in marine biology and genetic engineering, as well as in business. The faculty would include, inter alia, Moe Howard, Jerome Howard, and Larry Fine–that is, The Three Stooges; and the proposed motto on the college seal, roughly translated from the Latin, was Education Is for the Birds. The response? Academic accreditation was granted."

Complete article is here. Read it and weep...

- https://litwinbooks.com/

o

Download "The Twilight Of American Culture", by Morris Berman, here:

- https://dokumen.pub/qdownload/

o

As the great Mogombo Guru said, "We're so freakin' doomed!"

And that's why...