So, we rise from the rubble...
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Thursday, June 11, 2026
"We All Got Problems..."
"We all got problems. But there's a great book out called "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart. " Did you see that? That book says the statute of limitations has expired on all childhood traumas. Get your stuff together and get on with your life, man. Stop whinin' about what's wrong, because everybody's had a rough time, in one way or another. "
- Quincy Jones
“How Are Things Going, Joe?”
“You go up to a man, and you say, “How are things going, Joe?” and he says, “Oh fine, fine… couldn’t be better.” And you look into his eyes, and you see things really couldn’t be much worse. When you get right down to it, everybody’s having a perfectly lousy time of it, and I mean everybody. And the hell of it is, nothing seems to help much.”
- Kurt Vonnegut
"Life in America Keeps Getting Harder Every Year... And More People Are Feeling It"
Full screen recommended.
The Unfolded States, 6/11/26
"Life in America Keeps Getting Harder Every Year...
And More People Are Feeling It"
"Why do so many Americans feel financially stressed even when the economy appears strong on paper? In this video, we explore the growing gap between economic headlines and everyday reality. From rising living costs and housing affordability challenges to job insecurity, healthcare expenses, and changing expectations about the future, we examine why many people feel less financially secure than they did just a few years ago. This analysis goes beyond simple explanations like inflation or personal spending habits. Instead, we look at how multiple pressures can interact at the same time, gradually changing how households make decisions about work, housing, family, savings, and long-term planning. The result is a growing sense that stability has become harder to achieve, even for people who are working hard and doing many of the right things.
We also explore the deeper question behind these trends: why are so many people losing confidence in the future? Is this simply a cost of living crisis, or is something larger changing in the relationship between work, opportunity, and the American dream? Through economic trends, social shifts, and real-world examples, this video examines one of the most important conversations happening in America today. What part of everyday life feels most different to you compared to five or ten years ago? Share your thoughts in the comments below."
Comments here:
"This Is How Financial Collapse Actually Starts: Hidden Warning Signs Before Every Economic Crisis"
Full screen recommended.
Empire of Wealth, 6/11/26
"This Is How Financial Collapse Actually Starts:
Hidden Warning Signs Before Every Economic Crisis"
"What really causes a financial collapse? Is it inflation, debt, bank failures, or something deeper? In this video, we explore the hidden pattern behind history’s most devastating financial crises, from Argentina’s 2001 collapse and Lebanon’s banking disaster to the 2008 U.S. financial crisis and Greece’s banking shutdown. Discover how economic systems appear stable right before trust disappears, why bank runs happen, how governments respond, and what ordinary people experience when financial promises break down. Through real historical stories, this documentary reveals the warning signs that repeatedly appear before major economic collapses. Learn how excessive debt, currency pegs, banking instability, capital controls, frozen savings, inflation, and declining confidence have triggered crises across different countries and generations. More importantly, understand the lessons history offers for recognizing financial stress before it becomes visible to everyone.
This educational analysis examines the human side of economic collapse, showing how pensioners, workers, families, and savers are often the first to feel the consequences when systems fail. Whether you're interested in economics, financial history, investing, geopolitics, banking systems, or global markets, this video provides valuable historical insights into how financial collapses actually begin. Watch until the end to discover the common survival patterns shared by people who successfully navigated some of history's most difficult economic crises.'
Comments here:
o
Ray Dalio, 6/11/26
"The 6 Stages Of How Every Empire Dies
(We're Approaching Stage 6)"
"History may be repeating itself - and Stage 6 is the phase every great empire fears most. In this video, we break down Ray Dalio’s famous Empire Cycle framework and examine why he believes the United States may be approaching the final stage that has historically marked the decline of dominant world powers. From debt explosions and money printing to political conflict, weakening currencies, and geopolitical competition, Dalio explains why the same warning signs appeared before the decline of previous empires - including the Dutch Empire, the British Empire, and others throughout history. If this analysis is correct, the next decade could reshape the global economy, financial markets, retirement portfolios, and the future of American economic leadership. History rarely repeats exactly - but it often rhymes."
Comments here:
Dan, I Allegedly, "People Are Fed Up - The Numbers Prove It"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 6/11/26
"People Are Fed Up - The Numbers Prove It"
"Inflation just hit its highest level in three years and millions of Americans are feeling the pressure. In this video, I break down why people are borrowing money to pay rent, why housing affordability continues to deteriorate, why consumers are cutting spending, and what you can do to protect yourself financially. We'll cover rising costs, personal finance strategies, real estate trends, consumer debt, layoffs, and the growing signs that many households are reaching their breaking point. Most importantly, I'll share practical ways to save money and thrive during challenging economic times.
Americans are fed up with rising prices, expensive housing, growing debt, and shrinking purchasing power. Inflation is accelerating again, rent costs remain elevated, and more people are using loans just to cover basic living expenses. In today's video, we discuss inflation, housing, consumer spending, Costco gas demand, layoffs, rent-now-pay-later programs, the real estate market, and why financial discipline matters more than ever. If you're concerned about the economy, personal finance, investing, budgeting, or the future of the American consumer, this video is for you."
Comments here:
"Kroger Shopping! Grocery Deals! Checking Prices - Lots of Empty Shelves"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 6/11/26
"Kroger Shopping! Grocery Deals!
Checking Prices - Lots of Empty Shelves"
"In today's vlog we are at Kroger, and are seeking out some deals on grocery items. With massive price increases continuing at grocery stores, we are searching for some good deals during these times of high inflation. We also notice some empty shelves as stores continue to struggle getting in some products. Thank you so much for watching, and we'll see you in the next video!"
Comments here:
"Like Stimulating An Old Mule"
"Like Stimulating An Old Mule"
by Bill Bonner
Youghal, Ireland - "What a jolly little war…as long as you are not in the middle of it…or have to pay for it…or buy gasoline…The Washington Post: "US launches strikes on Iran after downing of Army helicopter, prompting retaliation." Next at bat, Reuters: "Iran strikes US bases in Gulf after Trump orders attacks near Hormuz."
The press goes on to explain that the Iranian bombing is retaliation for the US bombing of Iran…which was in retaliation for the Iranians shooting down a US helicopter, which was loitering over the Strait to enforce a siege which was imposed in retaliation for the Iranians’ siege which was in retaliation for the US bombing which was meant to demolish the Iranians’ nuclear bomb program…that America’s own spy organizations said didn’t exist…and which Donald Trump claimed to have demolished a year ago, even though the spooks said it didn’t exist then either.
Got that? Hope so, because we’re not going to repeat it. Instead, we’re going to move on. We’ll fade all the bombing and besieging …as distracting as they are…to focus instead on what we’re supposed to ignore: that the feds have made an unholy hash of US finances….and every day the stench grows stronger.
Opinion: The true national debt just hit $1 million per U.S. household. Marketwatch: "The effective U.S. national debt just crashed through $100 trillion for the first time in history, and now stands at an extraordinary 400% of annual gross domestic product - but almost nobody seems to care. The shocking news is (as usual) buried in the footnotes of the annual report from the Medicare Trustees. In Table V. F2 on page 218, right where everyone will see it, the federal government reports that the commitments of Medicare and Social Security now exceed their assets by an eye-watering $97 trillion, which is more than three times U.S. gross domestic product.
This tally includes, of course, only the feds’ own obligations. But all through the economy, the funny money regime has inflated asset prices…and the debt that supports them. Somehow, someday…all that gaudy debt and rococo valuations will be squared up…to what they are really worth. The prevailing assumption is that the excesses will be inflated away. While that is probably right, we need to be cautious. It may not be that easy.
Stimulating an economy is like stimulating an old mule. Sometimes, no amount of prodding or coaxing will get him to move. You can lay on the lash, too…but like bombing Iran; the stubborn SOB might dig in his heels. American consumers and investors – like the Japanese before them – might dig in their heels too. Having grown older and more cautious since the last crisis, they might not be so eager to do it again. They may not party like it was 1999…or 2007…or 2021, for example. They might not buy the dip at all.
So, what may be approaching is not just a stock market correction…but a correction of the entire capital structure…not to mention the empire that heaved it up. This could be a serious reckoning that rolls through the whole economy. Almost everything has been whipped to a froth by the fake ‘money.’ It is fake because it – and all the assets quoted in it – masquerade as purchasing power for goods and services that aren’t there.
While the situation is endlessly complicated, it leads us to a homey insight: come the crisis, either goods and services get priced much more highly…or, asset prices go way down. One way or another, the two sides of the national balance sheet need to zero out. And while we do not pretend to know exactly what is coming, we are sure we have the leaders we need to make it worse. The feds are already on the hook for $40 trillion. Plus, the unfunded obligations of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Then, there is the additional $2 trillion per year (assuming no increase!) in deficits.
Where is all that money to come from? Thanks to bombing, sanctioning, seizing, tariffing….and generally acting like a jackass…fewer foreigners will be in the room when America auctions new debt. Over the last five years, for example, the Chinese have reduced – not increased – their UST holdings, by some half a trillion dollars. Overall, foreigners bought 14% of US Treasury offerings in 1995. The total peaked out at 60% in 2008…and has been going down ever since.
They’re not likely to get much support from the Fed either. Historically, a major buyer, now the Fed has its eye on inflation; it will be loath to ‘print’ more money just to soak up Uncle Sam’s deficits. The Wall Street Journal: "Consumer prices were up 4.2% in May from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Wednesday, accelerating from 3.8% the previous month. That was the highest year-over-year print since April 2023 and a sign that high energy costs stemming from the conflict with Iran are continuing to push up price pressures." How this will play out, we don’t know. We’ll stay in Maximum Safety Mode until we find out."
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
John AI Art, "Where My Old Friend Waits"
Full screen recommended.
John AI Art, "Where My Old Friend Waits"
"A Great Madness Sweeps The Land"
"A Great Madness Sweeps The Land"
by Charles Hugh Smith
‘In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups,
parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.’
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"A great madness sweeps the land. There are no limits on extremes in greed, credulity, convictions, inequality, bombast, recklessness, fraud, corruption, arrogance, hubris, pride, over-reach, self-righteousness and confidence in the rightness of one's opinions. Extremes only become more extreme even as the folly of previous extremes wearies rationality.
Imaginary sins are conjured out of thin air to convict the innocent while those guilty of the most egregious fraud and corruption are lauded as saviors.
The national mood is aggrieved and bitter. The luxuries of self-righteousness, indignation, entitlement and resentment have impoverished the national spirit. Bankrupted by these excesses, what little treasure remains is squandered on plots of petty revenge.
Blindness to the late hour is cheered as optimism, confidence in the false gods of technology is sanctified while doubters of the technocratic theocracy are crucified as irredeemable infidels.
Witch-hunts and show trials are the order of the day as those who cannot stomach the party line are obsessively purged, as healthy skepticism is condemned as a mortal sin by brittle true believers who secretly fear the failure of their cult.
Mired in a putrid sewer of suspected subversion and disloyalty to The One True Cause, heretics are everywhere to those caught up in the mass hysteria. In this choking atmosphere of toxic hubris, self-righteousness, indignation, entitlement and resentment, humility is for losers, prudence is for losers, caution is for losers, skeptical inquiry is for losers.
Completely untethered from cause and effect, those confident in the inevitability of a glorious future of unlimited expansion cling to past glory as proof of future glory, even as their hubris leads only to a treacherous path of decay and decline. As they stumble into the abyss, their final cries are of surprise that confidence alone is not enough.
Those who see the madness for what it is have only one escape: go to ground, fade from public view, become self-reliant and weather the coming storm in the nooks and crannies where cause and effect, skeptical inquiry, humility, prudence and thrift can still be nurtured."
o
"Breaking: The American Attack on Iran has Begun - Iran's Upscale Retaliation Coming"
Full screen recommended.
Larry Johnson, 6/10/26
"Breaking: The American Attack on Iran has Begun -
Iran's Upscale Retaliation Coming"
Comments here:
Canadian Prepper, "Widespread Attacks On Iran Begin"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 6/10/26
"Widespread Attacks On Iran Begin"
Comments here;
A Rousing Musical Interlude! Outlaws, “Green Grass And High Tides”
Outlaws, “Green Grass And High Tides”
Turn it up!
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Can the night sky appear both serene and surreal? Perhaps classifiable as serene in the below panoramic image taken last Friday are the faint lights of small towns glowing across a dark foreground landscape of Doi Inthanon National Park in Thailand, as well as the numerous stars glowing across a dark background starscape. Also visible are the planet Venus and a band of zodiacal light on the image left.
Unusual events are also captured, however. First, the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy, while usually a common site, appears here to hover surreally above the ground. Next, a fortuitous streak of a meteor was captured on the image right. Perhaps the most unusual component is the bright spot just to the left of the meteor. That spot is the plume of a rising Ariane 5 rocket, launched a few minutes before from Kourou, French Guiana. How lucky was the astrophotographer to capture the rocket launch in his image? Not lucky at all- the image was timed to capture the rocket. What was lucky was how photogenic- and perhaps surreal- the rest of the sky turned out to be.”
Bill Bonner, "Return Of The Wolfman"
"Return Of The Wolfman"
by Bill Bonner
"Homo homini lupus."
– Latin proverb, meaning “Man is wolf to man.”
POITOU, FRANCE – "We saw a strange beast early this morning. Driving to the train station, an animal slouched onto the road ahead of us. At first, we thought it was a wild boar. There are a lot of them in the area. Then, it saw us coming and dashed back into the woods. But it was taller and longer than the typical boar, and it moved more like a dog than a pig. “It was a wolf,” concluded a neighbor. “We found one dead on the railroad tracks a few months ago. They’re all over France now.”
In the mid-20th century, this area became a major producer of sheep. But only after wolves were exterminated. Now, with the wolf making a comeback, will the sheep be next to go? Readers may want to keep that in mind… as we consider the affairs of men in the next few hundred words. In short, the wolfman is back…
Lunar Lunacy: Usually, civilized life goes on in a give-and-take, live-and-let-live kind of fashion. But sometimes, when the moon is full, people go a little mad; they grow furry ears and long teeth. That’s what happened in the early 20th century… first with the Bolsheviks… then the National Socialists (Nazis). In each case, a determined group – often very small at the beginning – believed that it had the one and only TRUTH… and that all others must bend to it. Or else…
Then, as the howling grows louder, and the predators get control of the government, other groups are eager to join. The media is first; it wishes to be part of the glorious new future. Politicians, bureaucrats, opinion mongers, view shapers – none wants to be left behind. Religious groups and nonprofits join the pack; they begin to see how the new faith connects to their old one. And business – partly trying to protect itself… and partly trying to gain special privileges – soon takes its place among the beasts.
Even ordinary people, who might otherwise get on with their own honest and dignified lives, are inspired to snarl and yelp. And then, the whole lot of them are headed for trouble. And now, as the moon grows brighter… is that a dog we hear… or a wolf?
Cancel Culture: Let us begin with the supposition that almost everything we hear in the news is either a lie or a fraud. Of course, we will be wrong occasionally, but probably not often. The public has better things to do (idly scrolling through Facebook!) than trying to understand the issues in any depth. Besides, reporters are too lazy – and have little incentive – to dig beneath the popular narrative to find out what is really going on. And anyone who dares try to put forward a contrary view is quickly censured.
Recall that Donald Trump – who won more votes than any Republican in history – was cut off from Twitter; the company didn’t like his views of the election results. (Note that we offer no opinion as to the election results themselves… We just call attention to the extraordinary situation in which a major public figure is censured for his views.)
Senator Rand Paul was cut off from YouTube after he cited studies critical of mask mandates… and blasted the censors for cutting others off. The video sharing platform also tried to remove Dr. Dan Stock’s speech on the virus to the Mount Vernon Community School Corporation in Indiana after it went viral. That is to say, YouTube tried to take it down because people wanted to see it… and because it had the wrong point of view.
You might say, “YouTube is a private company. It can do what it wants.” Which is perfectly okay with us, too. We’re just exploring a phenomenon here, not arguing about the law. If we’re right, America’s “private” sector and its most important institutions have been corrupted by public sector money. The press asks no “hardball” questions. The universities no longer teach people how to think; they teach them WHAT to think. Businesses have figured out that it’s the feds who butter their bread.
Preposterous Policies: Returning to the legal issue, 5 years ago, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz made the remarkable claim that people “have no right not to be vaccinated.” What kind of Brave New World is this? People have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but not to decide what is put into their bodies? What kind of world is it where private companies act as censors for the feds?
And how come the press goes along with some of the most intrusive and preposterous government policies in history – the trillion-dollar deficits… stimmy checks… the invasion of Iraq… the war with Iran…?
Real Mischief: Yes, Dear Reader, people seem to go mad from time to time. And now, you can start a war and kill thousands of women… and then go on to a comfortable retirement berth as an elder statesman (George Bush Jr.). But pinch just one woman (or more) on the derrière, and your career is sunk (Andrew Cuomo).
You can tell all the lies you want (Petraeus, Flynn, Milley, Mattis, et al.)… and move on to a rich reward at Raytheon or Lockheed Martin… but tell the truth just once, and you’ll go to jail (former National Security Agency intelligence analyst Daniel Hale).
You can print trillions of fake dollars and you will become the most admired public servant since Pontius Pilate…but try to pass off just one fake $20 bill, and the police will kill you (George Floyd). The media condemned Floyd’s killer – even before trial! – but it never once raised doubts about the system that was fatal to him. Instead, it went after the soft target – the alleged “racism” of others, the Trumpian white trash – and gave a pass to the furry elite’s real mischief – militarizing the police… the War on Drugs… the War on Poverty… punishing savers… eliminating good-paying jobs… and shifting $39 trillion to itself by backstopping the stock market and funding its pet projects.
Today, we come to no conclusion. We just note that the moon, big and yellow already, is waxing…and trouble is afoot."
"Centering Ourselves: Gathering Our Straying Thoughts"
"Centering Ourselves:
Gathering Our Straying Thoughts"
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
"All too often our lives can be spread too thin and it becomes important to gather our thoughts and center ourselves to become whole again. When our thoughts are scattered in several directions at once and we are no longer conscious of what we are doing or why, it is time to center ourselves. When we center ourselves, we begin by acknowledging that we have become spread too thin and we are no longer unified inside. Our thoughts might be out of sync with our feelings, and our actions may be out of sync with both. The main signs that we need to center ourselves are scattered thoughts and a feeling of disconnection or numbness, as if we are no longer able to take anything in. In addition, we may feel unfocused and not present in our bodies. Centering ourselves is a way of coming to terms with all the different energies within us and drawing them back into ourselves.
Centering yourself means that you are working from or being aware of the core of your being in the solar plexus area of your body. At first it may not make sense, but as you progress you will understand what this feels like. We naturally know how to center ourselves when we take a deep breath, for example, before making a big announcement or doing something big. Another way to center ourselves is to sit down and engage in breath meditation. We can start by simply getting into a comfortable upright position and noticing as our breath enters and leaves our bodies. Our breath flows into our center and out from our center, and this process can serve as a template for all of our interactions in the world. In conversations, we can take what our friends are saying into the center of our beings and respond from the center. Our whole lives mirror this ebb and flow of energy that begins and ends at the center of ourselves. If we follow this ebb and flow, we are in harmony with the universe, and when we find we are out of harmony, we can always come back into balance by sitting down and observing our breath.
When we sit down to center ourselves we can imagine that we are gathering our straying thoughts and energies back into ourselves, the way a mother duck gathers her babies around her. We can also visualize ourselves casting a net and pulling all the disparate parts of ourselves back to the center of our being, creating a sense of fluid integration. From this place of centeredness, we can begin again, directing ourselves outward in a more intentional way."
- http://www.dailyom.com/
Related:
Michael Sealey,
"Guided Meditation for Detachment From Over-Thinking
(Anxiety/OCD/Depression)"
"We Never See..."
“You know, we never see the world exactly as it is. We see it as we hope it will be or we fear it might be. And we spend our lives going through a sort of modified stages of grief about that realization. And we deny it, and then we argue with it, and we despair over it. But eventually - and this is my belief - that we come to see it, not as despairing, but as vitalizing. We never see the world exactly as it is because we are how the world is.”
- Maria Popova
"When the Sky Is No More Than Remembered Light"
"When the Sky Is No More Than Remembered Light:
Mark Strand Reads His Poignant Poem 'The End'”
- by Maria Popova
“Not every man knows what is waiting for him, or what he shall sing,
when the ship he is on slips into darkness, there at the end.”
“It’s such a lucky accident, having been born, that we’re almost obliged to pay attention,” the Pulitzer-winning poet Mark Strand (April 11, 1934–November 29, 2014) observed in contemplating the artist’s task to bear witness to the universe. And yet this universe in which we live is predicated on impermanence, and the lucky accident of our existence is crowned with the certitude of its end from the start. Why, then, are we always so shocked by the finitude of all we hold dear and, above all, by our own mortality? Few are those who can say with sincerity, like Rilke did an exquisite 1923 letter, that “death is our friend precisely because it brings us into absolute and passionate presence with all that is here, that is natural, that is love.” Instead, we spend our lives shuddering at any reminder of our inevitable end, unsalved by the miracle of having lived at all.
Montaigne articulated the central paradox of being perfectly in 16th-century meditation on death and the art of living: “To lament that we shall not be alive a hundred years hence, is the same folly as to be sorry we were not alive a hundred years ago.” Still, lament we do, and some of our greatest art gives voice to that lamentation.
That paradox is what Strand explores with transcendent courage and curiosity in his poem “The End,” found in his "Collected Poems" (public library) - the trove of truth and beauty that gave us Strand’s love letter to dreams.
In this hauntingly beautiful recording, courtesy of The New York Public Library, an aged Strand reads his poignant poem shortly before he repaid his own debt to mortality:
"The End"
by Mark Strand
"Not every man knows what he shall sing at the end,
Watching the pier as the ship sails away, or what it will seem like
When he’s held by the sea’s roar, motionless, there at the end,
Or what he shall hope for once it is clear that he’ll never go back.
When the time has passed to prune the rose or caress the cat,
When the sunset torching the lawn and the full moon icing it down
No longer appear, not every man knows what he’ll discover instead.
When the weight of the past leans against nothing, and the sky
Is no more than remembered light, and the stories of cirrus
And cumulus come to a close, and all the birds are suspended in flight,
Not every man knows what is waiting for him, or what he shall sing
When the ship he is on slips into darkness, there at the end."
Complement with the lyrical "Duck, Death and the Tulip", Marcus Aurelius on mortality and the key to living fully, and the great Zen master Seung Sahn Soen-sa’s explanation of death and the life-force to a child, then revisit Strand’s celebration of clouds and everything they mean."
"Them Are Fightin’ Words"
"Them Are Fightin’ Words"
by Addison Wiggin
“Life is a fight for territory; so is your success.”
-Nkem Mpamah
“What if the Founding Fathers had moved off to Belize instead of helping sort out what surely must have been a similar mess right here?” writes reader Zeke L from Oklahoma. Reader mail comes in all forms. We assume Zeke is commenting on the conversation on the Empire of Debt Bill Bonner and I had on The Wiggin Sessions.
The very “Idea of America” – as reimagined by Bill Bonner and Pierre Lemieux in 2003 – is by its nature as much a geographical event as an historical event. The triple crown of climate, crops, and the religiously ostracized coalesced into the prime conditions for the seed of American civilization to be planted. “The idea is really very simple,” Bill says.
“Cooperation, win-win deals, is what allowed civilization to go forward.” The colonists were left to their own devices. The climate cooperated. And there was a burgeoning global trade in commodities. There are a lot of pieces to civilization,” Mr. Bonner tries to explain, “but that is probably the critical one, that when you see somebody, you can't kill them and you can't steal their stuff. You have to work with them. You have to work out a deal.”
This is high-level, philosophical stuff, made simple and accessible with everyday language. He continues: "Once you win-win, that means you have to create something. There are other things that go along with civilization. That rule is probably the cornerstone, but you need property rights. If you don't have property rights, then you can't really build because you can't protect what you've got.
And you need money. You need money to be able to exchange your product with other people. And you need a language. You need a written language. Otherwise, you can't make any progress. So all these things sort of came together over thousands of years and these things are different from what a lot of people think of as civilization.
A lot of people think the government can pass a law and make us richer or make us more civilized or whatever. But it ain't so. It doesn't work that way. Civilization arises from the bottom. It doesn't come down from the top and from the bottom people make deals with each other, which are essentially win-win.
We have to remember that the Founding Fathers were revolutionaries in the eyes of the British Crown. Their Declaration of Independence was a declaration of war. And let us not forget the deracination of the Native Americans from the original Thirteen Colonies and the horrors of Amistad. That's why I called it win-win or lose,” Bill says. “Because the opposite, the losing, is what happens all the time when the government gets into the picture and they start a war or something and everybody loses. Civilization goes backward.”
From the Declaration of Independence, in what is called “The Indictment” of the Crown’s overbearing governance: "Such is now the necessity which constrains them [the new Americans] to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."
As they’d say in Baltimore… them are fightin’ words. On Wednesday we were ruminating on the anniversary of Francis Scott Key’s poem turned national anthem which happened here in ‘Bawlmer.’ So… I guess we’ve got patriotic themes on the brain.
The true nature of civilization, however, is more than history and geography. Blessed as we may have been to happen upon such a land. Each generation, in choosing to live somewhere – somewhere real, with land and toil and natural rights – a deal must be made. Whether that deal is win-win or lose, is up to those who declare, those who speak up, those who present their case for independence.
This is nothing new, Bill exclaims: "There's nothing new in my book that you can't find in Adam Smith or the texts of Free Market economists or Milton Friedman. A lot of people write about the same sort of thing. And everybody comes at it from a different angle. What I tried to do was to come at it from an angle that made sense to me and this does. And I think so far it's been missed. In fact, our current civilization or our current status of society is going in the other direction, with more and more people who think that they can get something by using political means, which are essentially the opposite of win-win."
A political move, anything political is win-lose by definition. Would such an idea have arisen and manifested had Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton fled to Belize, as Zeke wants to know? Probably not. America could only have happened where it did. “We need all hands on deck to help guide America back in the coming years,” Zeke concludes, and we concur. Follow your bliss,"
"My Last Round of Give-a-Damn"
Full screen recommended.
Delta Blues Brother,
"My Last Round of Give-a-Damn"
"There comes a point in life when you stop trying to fix everybody. Not because you stopped caring. Because you finally learned where your energy belongs. "My Last Round of Give-a-Damn" is a whiskey-soaked Delta blues reflection about aging, patience, peace of mind, and the wisdom that comes from realizing not every battle deserves your attention. The resonator guitar rolls through the song with the swagger of someone who's survived enough chaos to stop volunteering for more. The harmonica answers with dry humor and hard-earned perspective, weaving between the verses like an old friend who's heard every argument before. The groove stays relaxed, confident, and unapologetic... like a veteran who's finally learned that peace is more valuable than being right. This is the blues of selective caring. Not indifference. Wisdom...
✔ choosing your battles.✔ protecting your peace.
✔ aging with perspective.
✔ old soul wisdom.
✔ veteran mentality.
✔ letting nonsense go.
When you're young, you spend energy proving things. When you're older, you spend it protecting peace."
Amen!
"How It So Sadly Really Is"
“Alas, regardless of their doom, the little victims play!
No sense have they of ills to come, nor care beyond today.”
- Thomas Gray,
“Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College”
"You Can't Pretend The Economy Is Fine Anymore"
Full screen recommended.
Finance Economist, 6/10/26
"You Can't Pretend The Economy Is Fine Anymore"
"Someone asked you how you were doing this week and you said fine. You lied. Consumer sentiment just hit the lowest level in 46 years of data. 63% of Americans rated the economy as bad. Biden’s former top economist said on the record: “Never try to tell the American people they are better off than they think they are.” Whirlpool reported a “recession-level” decline in demand. The Dallas Fed says the top 20% now drive 57% of all spending while the bottom 80% struggles. There are two American economies. You don’t live in the one they show you on TV. The pretending is over."
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"Americans Can't Believe What Groceries Cost Right Now"
Full screen recommended.
The Unfolded States, 6/10/26
"Americans Can't Believe
What Groceries Cost Right Now"
"Have you ever walked into a grocery store expecting to spend $50, only to leave wondering how the total reached $80? Across the country, consumers are noticing the same trend: everyday essentials like meat, produce, dairy products, and pantry staples are costing more than they used to, making every shopping trip feel a little different. In this video, we explore why grocery shopping has become such a common topic of conversation, how rising food prices are affecting household budgets, and why even traditionally affordable meals no longer feel as budget-friendly as they once did. From fresh vegetables to protein-rich foods, small price increases across multiple categories are adding up in ways that consumers can easily feel.
We'll also look at how shoppers are adapting by comparing prices more carefully, switching to store brands, planning meals around sales, and rethinking purchases that once felt routine. These changes reveal how inflation is influencing not only what people buy, but also how they make everyday spending decisions. What grocery item recently made you stop and think twice before buying it? Share your experience in the comments and join the conversation about rising food costs, inflation, and the changing cost of living."
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"A Historic Energy Squeeze Is Locked In: U.S. Oil Inventories Have Fallen For 7 Weeks In A Row, And Global Oil Inventories Will Soon Hit The Lowest Level Ever Recorded"
"A Historic Energy Squeeze Is Locked In:
U.S. Oil Inventories Have Fallen For 7 Weeks In A Row,
And Global Oil Inventories Will Soon Hit The Lowest Level Ever Recorded"
by Michael Snyder
"Now that the war with the Iranians appears to be fully back on, there will be no turning back now. President Trump just told reporters in the White House that “we’re going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard”, and so it should now be apparent to everyone that there isn’t going to be any sort of a “deal” any time soon. What this means is that we are headed for a historic energy squeeze of unprecedented magnitude.
So far, we have not experienced the full consequences of the war with Iran because we have been running through commercial oil inventories and national strategic stockpiles. But that cushion is rapidly being depleted and in the not too distant future it will be gone.
Let me try to illustrate this in a way that just about everyone will be able to understand. If you lost your job today, you probably would still have enough money to keep paying the bills for at least a few months. But if you didn’t find a new job within a certain amount of time, you would potentially be in danger of getting kicked out into the streets. We are facing a similar scenario with global oil supplies.
We had enough stored up to keep going for at least a few months, but some time this summer we will start hitting critical operating levels. Once we reach that stage, gasoline prices will go nuts and shortages and rationing will begin to spread around the globe. We won’t be out of oil. But we won’t have enough for everyone to use as much as they normally would.
Today, it was being reported that by the end of this year global oil inventories will hit the lowest level since records began being kept…"Oil stockpiles in the world’s largest economies are headed toward the lowest levels since at least 2003 as inventories are drawn down at a record pace due to the lost output from the Iran war, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Tuesday.
Total oil inventories in the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will fall to just under 2.3 billion barrels by December, the EIA said, based on its current assumption that marine traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is unlikely to return to pre-conflict levels until early 2027. The OECD stockpile has not been this low since the EIA began keeping records in 2003, the agency said in its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook report."
The rapid inventory drawdown, which is needed to make up for 11 million barrels a day of lost Middle Eastern output, creates the foundation for a sharp increase in oil prices in the months ahead, the agency said. Right now, the world is running an oil deficit. In other words, we are consuming far more than we are producing and this cannot go on indefinitely.
Here in the United States, oil inventories have dropped for a seventh week in a row…"U.S. crude oil inventories fell for a seventh consecutive week and product stocks were mixed as refineries stepped up their capacity use, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration." This is a slow-motion disaster that everyone can see coming.
One industry expert is warning that even if the Strait of Hormuz opened tomorrow, we are facing “disruptions that will probably last for at least three to six months”…"David Victor, the director of the Deep Decarbonization Initiative at the University of California, San Diego, said that in his analysis, even if the war ended tomorrow and the Strait of Hormuz was fully open, “we’ve already locked ourselves into disruptions that will probably last for at least three to six months.”
Prices, Victor explained, wouldn’t necessarily stay around their wartime highs for that whole time period. Rather, the end of the war would have a delayed impact on energy markets for the same reason the beginning of the war did: it takes time for such a change to work its way through global supply chains."
Of course the Strait of Hormuz is not going to reopen tomorrow. In fact, there is no end to the war with Iran in sight. So we are going to have some major problems on our hands. It isn’t just an oil squeeze that we will be dealing with. So many important commodities that normally come out of the Middle East are not getting exported, and this will manifest in thousands of different ways.
For example, hospitals in India are already facing a very serious shortage of cancer drugs due to the war in the Middle East…"Indian hospitals are running out of two life-saving cancer drugs as the war in Iran continues to disrupt the supply of raw materials. Stocks of cisplatin and carboplatin, two of the most widely used chemotherapy drugs in the country, have begun running dry over the last three weeks, doctors and pharmaceutical industry representatives have said. The two closely related drugs are derived from platinum, a precious metal that has surged in cost due to the Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and form the backbone of treatment for about 60 per cent of advanced cancer cases."
And the UN’s World Food Program is already being forced to divert food from the hungry in order to give it to those that are starving… "Ripple effects from the war in Iran are threatening millions more of the most vulnerable people with crisis levels of hunger or worse, World Food Programme (WFP) acting Executive Director Carl Skau told CNN. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven up the cost of fuel exponentially, making the organization’s operations far more costly. The escalating fuel costs have also driven up the price of food around the world. And critically needed supplies of fertilizer from the Gulf to plant crops in places like Sudan have been stymied by the snarling of the critical waterway."
It is a devastating mix for an organization that was already having to make unimaginable choices due to significant cuts in funding. “In many places, we’re already taking from the hungry to give to the starving,” Skau said. This is the reality of life in 2026. Widespread global food shortages are coming. There is no way to avoid it now. The consequences of the war in the Middle East are already being felt all over the world, but what we are witnessing now is just the beginning."
Bill Bonner, "Conquest, Loot, and Tribute"
"Conquest, Loot, and Tribute"
by Bill Bonner
Youghal, Ireland - "Here are a couple, almost contradictory, news stories. MSN: "Gold hits yearly low despite recent reserve asset milestone." And here’s the more important news. The India Times: ‘Gold now ranks as the world’s top reserve asset. According to World Gold Council data, global gold reserves are approaching $4 trillion. Treasury holdings total approximately $3.9 trillion. The last time central bank gold reserves topped Treasury holdings was in 1996.’
As to the first, we have no idea. Short-term trading is an unsolvable riddle to us. Like the Riemann Hypothesis...as far as we know, no one has ever figured it out. But the long-term Primary Trend may be another thing. As near as we can tell, there are deep recurring patterns. Stocks rise, for example. And then...lo...they go down. On a daily, weekly, or monthly basis trying to predict these movements in the stock market is - at least in our experience - futile.
Even in the long-term you are often wrong about what is going on. But when a child is born you know the poor infant is already headed to the grave. And when a nation begins ‘printing’ money, it is just a matter of time before the money is worthless. All we have to go on is history. So, we’ll make the most of it. Historically, there was a sober relationship between output and the value of the companies providing it. To simplify, if a company made a profit of $10...a prudent investor would pay $100 for it.
But in 1971 cometh a new money regime. Money was no longer an impartial and unassailable asset; now it was just another debit on America’s ballooning balance sheet. And since it could be created as easily as a toilet is flushed...and since the people who got it first and foremost were those in Wall Street’s credit industry...the general level of effluent rose as more of this new money washed in.
At first it was a pleasant novelty – rising stock prices with no corresponding increase in output. But then baby boomers - via their 401(k)s, mutual funds, and ETFs - came to depend on it for their retirements. Thus it was that the capital values on Wall Street, once at 10 times earnings, soared to...now...25. And the ratio of the stock market to GDP has shot up too...from around 0.5 to 2.3, with the stock market now worth 230% of GDP.
Recall our hypothesis...that Donald J. Trump was tapped by History Herself...to help topple the ultra-powerful USA. The pattern is without exception. Empires go up...and come down, too. They have a lifespan, on average, of about 250 years. They were usually based on naked military power. Like Napoleon Bonaparte, the conqueror rose...and then, he fell. In Napoleon’s case, it took less than 20 years to go from nowhere...to the top of Europe...to St. Helena, which was about as close to nowhere as you could get.
In 1898, Commodore Dewey won the Battle of Manila Bay, marking the US as an empire on-the-way-up. By 1999, the it bestrode the world...with one foot in North America and another trampling down foreigners wherever it chose. Its power unchallenged. Its economy unmatched. Its cultural, political and reputational influence beyond reproach.
But beneath the headlines was another story - an oft-told tale - a parable of pride and glory...vanity and ruin. America’s outsized success...combined with its funny money system...had already gnawed at the muscles and sinews needed to keep a great empire on its feet.
It was at this critical stage - when it needed to stitch the critical ligaments together again - that the nation fell under the sway of four especially block-headed leaders. George Bush led off with an expensive, pointless war. Barack Obama followed up, personally blessing the ‘kill lists’ while adding $8 trillion to US debt. Joe Biden went along with everything - stimmies, Israel’s massacre of Gazans, DEI and the goofy pronouns.
And then there is Donald Trump. Was ever a great leader more suited to the task? Full of bombast and bile, the man seemed to instinctively understand his real role - to hasten America’s decline. And while almost every policy played a helpful part - including the inane non sequiturs, the claptrap threats, the ‘crazy’ assertions - one policy stood out as a real empire buster.
US power rests on a pedestal of dollars. As the world’s reserve currency, this funny money made it possible for the US to spend more than it could afford - year after year. The system also aided and abetted the inflation of the dollar supply.
For many years the roaring conflagration of money-printing produced only a flicker of consumer price inflation. Instead, the hot new currency went into foreign coffers, where it sat undisturbed for an entire generation. And as an extra bonus, the dollars were used to buy US Treasury bonds...helping to lower borrowing costs for Americans’ domestic as well as foreign purchases. ScheerPost:
‘For nearly a century, the U.S. dollar has stood at the center of the global economy. Nations traded in dollars, stored dollars, borrowed dollars, and trusted the institutions that backed them. American power rested not only on military dominance but on the belief that the dollar-based financial system was stable, predictable, and indispensable.’
Where was the heel in the American Achilles? Where was its weakest link? What would bring the empire down faster, and more surely than anything else? An attack on the dollar, of course. After all, the US had what we called in our 2005 book "Empire of Debt". It funded itself not in the traditional ways -- conquest, looting, tribute, protection money or the slave trade -- but by borrowing and ‘printing’ ersatz ‘dollars.’
What would the best way to bring such an enterprise down? Make the dollar unreliable. Make it undesirable. Turn it into a weapon. Use sanctions, seizure, tariffs, the banking system to try to force people to do what you want. Result? They look for alternatives to the dollar. ScheerPost: "Washington Weaponized the Dollar. The World Responded by Buying Gold."
Business Standard: ‘According to the European Central Bank (ECB), gold accounted for nearly 27 per cent of global official reserves by the end of 2025, compared with 22 per cent for US Treasuries, the Financial Times reported. Just a year earlier, US Treasuries still held the top spot.’ The dollar is still the world’s go-to currency. But foreign investors and central banks are not going to it with quite as much enthusiasm as they used to have. And that means Americans - including the US government - will pay more to borrow. The Empire of Debt staggers on; no relief in sight."
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Source: Social Security Administration
Research Note, by Dan Denning: "Our good friends - the trustees at the Social Security Administration - updated the projections I told you about yesterday. The 2026 Annual Report confirms that by 2034, the ‘reserves’ in the trust fund will be gone. Total payroll taxes of $1.9 trillion in 2034 (plus $120 billion from taxing benefits) will deliver just over $2 trillion to cover the expected cost of $2.4 trillion.
Revenues cover 83% of costs by 2034, according to the 2026 report (slightly better than the 81% projected last year). The annual ‘gap’ between benefits and revenues will be $412 billion (also slightly smaller than last year’s projection).
The bad news? The long-term is even worse. By 2100, payroll taxes will cover just 65% of annual program costs. That means forty five cents of every dollar paid in benefits will have to be borrowed…or worse…printed. Keep that in mind when looking at gold’s recent price action, which puts it in a technical bear market and currently trading at $4,171/oz."
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