"The World As I See It: Albert Einstein's Thoughts on the Meaning of Life”

"The World As I See It:

Albert Einstein's Thoughts on the Meaning of Life”

by Paul Ratner

“Albert Einstein was one of the world’s most brilliant thinkers, influencing scientific thought immeasurably. He was also not shy about sharing his wisdom about other topics, writing essays, articles, letters, giving interviews and speeches. His opinions on social and intellectual issues that do not come from the world of physics give an insight into the spiritual and moral vision of the scientist, offering much to take to heart.

The collection of essays and ideas “The World As I See It”* gathers Einstein’s thoughts from before 1935, when he was as the preface says “at the height of his scientific powers but not yet known as the sage of the atomic age”.

In the book, Einstein comes back to the question of the purpose of life on several occasions. In one passage, he links it to a sense of religiosity. “What is the meaning of human life, or, for that matter, of the life of any creature? To know an answer to this question means to be religious. You ask: Does it many any sense, then, to pose this question? I answer: The man who regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life,” wrote Einstein.

Was Einstein himself religious? Raised by secular Jewish parents, he had complex and evolving spiritual thoughts. He generally seemed to be open to the possibility of the scientific impulse and religious thoughts coexisting. "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind," said Einstein in his 1954 essay on science and religion.

Some (including the scientist himself) have called Einstein’s spiritual views as pantheism, largely influenced by the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. Pantheists see God as existing but abstract, equating all of reality with divinity. They also reject a specific personal God or a god that is somehow endowed with human attributes.

Himself a famous atheist, Richard Dawkins calls Einstein's pantheism a “sexed-up atheism,” but other scholars point to the fact that Einstein did seem to believe in a supernatural intelligence that’s beyond the physical world. He referred to it in his writings as “a superior spirit,” “a superior mind” and a “spirit vastly superior to men”. Einstein was possibly a deist, although he was quite familiar with various religious teachings, including a strong knowledge of Jewish religious texts.

In another passage from 1934, Einstein talks about the value of a human being, reflecting a Buddhist-like approach: “The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self.”

This theme of liberating the self is also echoed by Einstein later in life, in a 1950 letter to console a grieving father Robert S. Marcus: “A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish it but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind.”

In case you are wondering whether Einstein saw value in material pursuits, here’s him talking about accumulating wealth in 1934, as part of the “The World As I See It”: “I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker in this cause. The example of great and pure characters is the only thing that can lead us to noble thoughts and deeds. Money only appeals to selfishness and irresistibly invites abuse. Can anyone imagine Moses, Jesus or Gandhi armed with the money-bags of Carnegie?”

- http://bigthink.com/

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Freely download "The World As I See It", by Albert Einstein, here:

- https://www.colonialtours.com/ebook/ebooks/

The Daily "Near You?"

Kingman, Arizona, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"History..."

"History is indeed little more than the register of 

the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind."

- Edward Gibbon

Moody Blues, "Don't You Feel Small"

"Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You..."

"Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You..."

by Jeff Thomas

"In his inaugural address in 1961, President John Kennedy gave a stirring speech in which he famously stated, "And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country." He then went on to say, "Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you."

Nonsense. John Kennedy was by most measures, one of the better US presidents. But he did believe in the concept that the role of the people of a country should be to serve their country and to sacrifice themselves to it. Again… nonsense.

Let’s put this in perspective. In seeking employment, you don’t seek a particular job because your primary concern is that, in that job, you can "make a difference." This is a nice thought, but it’s not why you seek a job. You seek it because it will provide you with what you’re after for yourself – possibly a good salary, possibly interesting work, possibly fringe benefits, etc. You certainly don’t seek a particular job because they need you to sacrifice for them.

For their part, potential employers generally try to provide good working conditions, good salaries and benefits in order to attract the best people to want to work for them.

It’s the same when you seek to buy products. Advertisers appeal to your desires, hoping to convince you to buy their widget, rather than a competitor’s widget. Never do they say, "We want you to buy our product because you have an obligation to provide income for us." You make your choice solely on whether that product appeals to you.

And in seeking a place to live, you might look for a community that’s relatively safe, or has good schools, or has good infrastructure. You don’t choose a community because it needs you more than another town or city. Communities try to put on their best face to attract better residents. They most certainly do not say, "Move here so that you can serve us." That would discourage potential residents, not encourage them.

And yet, for millennia, governments have taken the odd stance that you should serve them – to be "patriotic." The premise is that since, by an accident of birth, you were born in a particular country, you therefore owe dedication and sacrifice to that county. Throughout your life, it’s suggested to you that you should not only willingly sacrifice yourself to your country of birth; you should even take pride in paying whatever tax they burden you with.

The supreme example of this is found in countries that wage war against each other. At such times they go all out to remind you that you should take pride in becoming cannon fodder. As stated by the Roman poet Horace, "Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori." (Sweet and fitting it is, to die for one’s country.) Once again… nonsense.

To date, I’ve never met an individual who chose his place of birth. To my mind, that means that since it was beyond his choice, he owes no particular loyalty to that country. If he chooses to swear allegiance to it at some point, that should be his prerogative, not his obligation.

Let’s look at this in another light. When I was an infant, I was baptized into a church. That church, throughout my childhood, reminded me that I was a member and owed my allegiance to, not only its perceptions of a God, but to the institution of the church itself. By the age of thirteen, I had come to the conclusion that I owed them no such dedication, as I had not chosen to be baptised. The church and I parted ways. Whatever spiritual leanings I retained were independent of any loyalty to a particular institution that used religion as its format.

By contrast, the Amish, who admittedly run a pretty strict shop, leave baptism to the individual. A young Amish fellow has no responsibility to the church. He may smoke, drink alcohol, go to parties and pursue other worldly pleasures until he makes the decision to join the church of his own volition. Most young Amish men choose to join the church in early manhood, often because they can marry a woman who’s a member of the church only if they themselves have joined. This is certainly an incentive, but the fact remains: The choice is their own.

Once we have all of the above in perspective, we may ask ourselves what role our government should play in our lives. We know that advertisers do their best to con us into buying their products; employers often offer attractive employment packages; and even towns and religions make an effort to present themselves in a favorable light. The objective is to get us to buy in, to take up their offer.

However, governments make less of an effort in the way of a sales pitch. Certainly, they promote themselves as being good leaders, but the loyalty and dedication tends to be something that’s expected by them. If they don’t receive it, they tend to take it by force.

Most all countries issue passports and each regards passports as a privilege, not a right. You’re allowed a document for travel only if they see fit to let you go beyond their borders. Most countries, however, are very lenient in this regard. As long as you commit no major crime, your international movement is not curtailed. And not many countries insist that you join their armed forces. The larger the country, the more likely that these requirements will be imposed upon you. And the more your country of birth seeks to keep you in, the more you should question whether your unwilling "baptism" is in your own interest.

We’re entering an era in which some of the world’s most prominent countries will be increasing their migration controls. Even countries that are very free when allowing new residents in, are already passing legislation that will prevent born citizens from leaving. We’re seeing this, in particular, in North America and Europe. Increasingly, exit from these countries is not by right, but by permission. And those restrictions are tightening.

One essential principle in the definition of a "free" country is that a free country is one that you can leave at will. The greater the restrictions on leaving, the less free the country is. Regardless of the sales pitch by any government that you should "not ask what your country can do for you," if another country has a better offer, it deserves your consideration. If your government takes its "ownership" of you further by stating that you should sacrifice yourself to it, all the more reason to question whether you should remain there… or look for a better offer elsewhere."

- internationalman.com

"Here We Go! US Warns Of Nuclear ‘Big One’ Coming As Biden Sends New Heavy Weapons"

Full screen recommended.

Redacted News, 11/7/22:

"Here We Go! US Warns Of Nuclear ‘Big One’ 

Coming As Biden Sends New Heavy Weapons"

"The U.S. is opening a new command in Germany to oversee long term Ukrainian weapons flow into the war. Meanwhile U.S. leaders are gearing up for nuclear war telling the world that "the big one" is coming and sees China as its biggest threat. In Haiti, armored U.S. vehicles break through the fuel blockade under heavy casualties. UFO's are front and center in D.C. security hearings. Are they ignoring the real evidence?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"We Are at Code Red For The Economy"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly 11/7/22:

"We Are at Code Red For The Economy"

"Things are not good right now. We’re at code red for 

the economy. Nothing looks stable for the foreseeable future."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

Jim Kunstler, "Low Down on the Showdown"

"Low Down on the Showdown"

by Jim Kunstler

"Threat to “our democracy?” The effrontery! In a fair and just world, the Democratic Party of Chaos would slouch into the donkey’s graveyard - but since when is the USA part of a fair and just world? Is there a more preposterous notion warbled across this troubled nation than the campaign mantra that “Joe Biden,” and the claque concealed behind him, are defending our democracy? What could be more self-evidently untrue?

Is censorship and abridging the First Amendment democratic? They haven’t been trying to finesse their ongoing assault on free speech. They abhor diversity of opinion, especially when it conflicts with their obvious efforts to wreck the country. Is siccing the dogs of the FBI and jailing their opponents outside due process of law democratic? Is ballot fraud democratic? Forced “vaccination”? I could go on (and often do), but you know exactly what they are doing: lying incessantly about everything, shoving lunatic narratives down your throat, turning reality inside-out and upside-down, and blowing up what’s left of American culture and economic life.

If what they’re doing is obvious, why they’re doing it isn’t. I have only two theories: Either 1) the Party of Chaos is acting in the interests of sinister forces outside our polity; or 2) They’re so far gone ethically and so deep in criminality carried out by so many persons and agencies in their service, that everything you see them do now is some attempt to cover-up their crimes or distract from their discovery.

The correct answer is probably both. One way or another, Davos money and influence worms its way through US institutions and works its wicked will, chewing up the structural supports of daily life. One obvious agent is George Soros, whose many NGOs operate at the fine-grained local level to elect district attorneys who won’t enforce the criminal statutes and state secretaries of state who won’t enforce election laws. Mr. Soros is also deeply implicated, through his Atlantic Council org, in the years-long program to destabilize Ukraine and light the fire for a completely avoidable world war. At least part of the time, George Soros lives in the US. Why his activities are not under investigation by the US Department of Justice probably answers your questions about his hidden influence at the higher levels of government.

Bill Gates, the Microsoft tycoon, circulates at the center of the evil nexus where US public health shakes hands with the drug companies. His money appears to be entangled in the biolab projects around the world engaged in weaponizing disease and then profiting from alleged “vaccines” to defeat it. The Covid-19 project went badly awry, especially the “vaccine” part. He’s been vocal about reducing the world’s population and now appears to have succeeded in helping to prompt a weird medical genocide.

Other supporting outside players range from the barely plausible Klaus Schwab and his World Economic Forum, which has implanted leaders and managers all over Western Civ inculcated in his Great Reset effort to wreck what’s left of industrial society and its cultural armature; to shadowy figures in European banking chattered about but never identified; to the CCP, which has gotten huge benefits from its relatively penny-ante investments in the Biden Family.

On the domestic scene, where covering-up skeins of manifold crimes sets the political tone, Christopher Wray of the FBI must lead the pack of paper-hangers. Under his leadership, beginning in 2017, the agency carried out most of its RussiaGate crimes against a sitting president and did absolutely nothing to investigate the blatant ballot fraud of 2020 that sealed the deal. Even under the shelter of “Joe Biden,” who Mr. Wray helped elect, and the stooge AG, Merrick Garland, damning information about FBI crimes continues to leak out of the woodwork via whistleblowers, while the agency behaves more and more like an American Gestapo.

All that desperation probably signals the chilling fear that a new Congress will start seriously asking questions about all this misconduct that could eventually lead to the right people going to jail. Special Counsel John Durham failed to gain convictions in this year’s trials of small-timers Sussmann and Danchenko, but he did manage to make public many salient original sins of the RussiaGate op in the process and, though 99.9 percent of observers think he’s done, I’d be willing to bet that more will be heard from Mr. Durham after the election, and not just some jive “report.”

Similarly in US public health, where the central figure in the Covid disaster, Dr. Anthony Fauci, seems to think that retirement will erect an invisible shield from prosecution around him - if he lives long enough. Dr. Fauci’s agile avoidance of giving testimony under oath may be at an end as Federal Judge Terry Doughty has compelled him to be deposed in the joint Missouri-Louisiana lawsuit alleging collusion between the government and tech companies in censoring free speech related to Covid and the “vaccines.”

Rochelle Walensky of the CDC has gone-to-ground for more than a week before the election while reports pile up of soaring all-causes deaths implicating the mRNA shots. Former NIH director Francis Collins lays low, Dr. Ralph Baric is bunkered-in and silent at the University of North Carolina, and scores of other high-up employees present-and-former at CDC, FDA, and other public health agencies must be nervous, if Congress flips, about having to account for what they did to their country. If it does flip….

And so, the midterm election plods to a climax on elephant feet. The shift in sentiment is palpable. Under normal circumstances, the prodigious, naked dishonesty of the Democratic Party of Chaos, and its many gratuitous insults to the voting public - such as the past year’s barrage of drag queen story hours - would lead to an extinction event for the Dems. Their desperation must be such that they will try anything now to stave off an election disaster, including any-and-all forms of ballot fraud. Look to the usual places: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona.

This time, of course, many observers are watching and they’ll know what to look for. The result could easily be an election the outcome of which won’t be accepted by either party, sparking an invitation to broad civil disorder. I’m not much of a praying man, but tomorrow I’ll get down on my knees for a few words with The Manager."

- https://kunstler.com/

Bill Bonner, "The New Old Normal"

"The New Old Normal"

Are we seeing the end of cheap energy, 

cheap labor and cheap money?

by Bill Bonner

Baltimore, Maryland - "An early dawn on the battlefield. Little by little, you make out the shapes in the distance – the sky, the horizon, the trees…then, smaller, less distinct…you see tanks, artillery…and the soldiers who are coming to kill you.

Last week, investors began to see what is headed their way. For most of the year, they have been in denial. Stocks go down; they buy the dip. And then, they go down again. But that only brings the same reflex. Their investment strategy was simple. BTFD, they say – “Buy the F…ing Dip.”

And so it came to pass that, once more, investors thought they heard the bugles blowing behind them. Jay Powell: “..the committee will ‘take into account the cumulative tightening of monetary `policy, the lags with which monetary policy affects economic activity and inflation, and economic and financial developments.” That was all they needed. It was the Fed coming to the rescue! Their blood up…confident that the Fed had their backs…and that this was the dip they were looking for. They went ‘over the top,’ charging the enemy with bayonets attached, and giving out their full-throated war-cry – BTFD.

It was then that Chairman Powell let them know: “You’re on your own,” he told them: “It is very premature to be thinking about pausing. People when they hear ‘lags’ think about a pause. It is very premature, in my view, to think about or be talking about pausing our rate hikes. We have a ways to go,” he said.

Three of These Things: The next three hours were the worst for a ‘Fed day’ (when the Fed makes its interest rate announcement) in history—especially for investors in the tech-heavy Nasdaq. And who can blame them? The only world they have known was remarkably prosperous…forgiving and safe. It was a world – roughly from 1980 to 2022 – that was marked by three extraordinary things.

First, the Chinese were giving us the cheapest labor ever.

Second, capitalists and innovators were giving us the cheapest energy ever.

Third, the Fed was giving us the cheapest credit in history.

It was those three things, and not the genius of the Fed jefes, nor the wizards of Silicon Valley, nor the know-it-alls in the White House that gave us 36,000 on the Dow, the “goldilocks economy,” and the “great moderation” of the pre-2022 economy. And now, things have changed so fundamentally that investors are forced to ask questions. ‘Where are we?’ they want to know.

Here at Bonner Private Research, the question mark is our most treasured punctuation. We use it on everything, like duct tape or WD40. We keep them in the back of the truck, along with the spare tire, the jack, and the bottle of whiskey; we never know when we might need them. Typically, question marks disappear when things go well. But when the fender falls off, you get out the duct tape.

How come productivity is falling? Why hasn’t this ‘transitory’ inflation transited? What the Hell was White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre trying to say?

Investors long for the good ol’ days. They keep waiting, hoping, dreaming of a Fed pivot. Each time, they bid up stocks…hoping that things will get ‘back to normal’ tootsweet. And each time, our old classmate, Chairman Powell, who must keep a photo of Paul Volcker on his desk, proves them wrong.

Mr. Powell meets Mr. Market: But a whole generation of Americans have never known ‘normal.’ And now that the curiously beneficent conditions of the last few decades, have deserted them, the new normal is terrifying.

As to the cheap labor, China is running out of it. The rush of some 500 million peasants into a modernizing, industrial economy was a “one off” event. There aren’t many peasants left; those that still live in Chinese villages are needed on the farms. Chinese labor is no longer dirt cheap. And the feds are working hard to discourage trade with China, anyway. Mr. Trump limited imports from China. Mr. Biden kept his tariffs in place.

Energy isn’t so cheap anymore either. Typically, oil prices go down when the dollar goes up. But today, the dollar is at a 20-year high…while oil is over $86 a barrel – up from under $20 in 2020. Nor is oil or gas likely to get much cheaper. Practically every major government in the Western world has threatened to put the producers out of business, while actively subsidizing their competition. The price of gasoline is already inching back up. And gas heating bills this winter are expected to be about 30% higher than last year.

And interest rates? For the moment, the Fed is raising them (making credit more expensive). Mr. Market is raising them too; he’s got to protect himself from inflation. Mortgage rates, for example, topped 7% last week. Between the two of them – Mr. Powell and Mr. Market – the price of credit is going up. And for better or for worse, the world of 1980-2022 is dead."

- bonnerprivateresearch@substack.com

"Stock Up Now At Walmart! Massive Holiday Sale! Don't Miss This!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures with Danno, 11/7/22:

"Stock Up Now At Walmart! 

Massive Holiday Sale! Don't Miss This!"

"In today's vlog we are at Walmart, and are noticing that they are having a huge sale on holiday baking items this month! We are stocking up, and showing the best deals as we take you shopping with us. It's getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

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By comparison:

Full screen recommended.
Travelling with Russell, 11/7/22:
"Russian Supermarket After 9 Months of Sanctions"

"Let's take a look inside a Russian Supermarket after 9 months of ongoing Sanctions. How does the Russian Supermarket look inside now? Are the shelves full, did sanctions affect the daily shopping of Russians? Here's a EuroSpar Supermarket in Moscow during Sanctions."

Comments here:
- https://www.youtube.com/

Look at the area around the market, the buildings, cars, streets. Look at the people, how they're dressed and appear. Are they so different from you? Compare the supermarket, how does it compare to where you shop? Do you see empty shelves? What do you think about this?

"Economic Market Snapshot 11/7/22"

"Economic Market Snapshot 11/7/22"

Market Data Center, Live Updates:

- https://www.marketwatch.com/market-data 

Down the rabbit hole of psychopathic greed and insanity...

Only the consequences are real - to you!

○

Your guide:

Gregory Mannarino, AM 11/7f22:

"Debt Market Hair Trigger And Anything 

Can Set It Off - Be Prepared" 

 - https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

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Latest Market Analysis, Updated 11/7/22

- https://www.asktraders.com/analysis/

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A comprehensive, essential daily read.

- http://www.shadowstats.com/

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Financial Stress Index

"The OFR Financial Stress Index (OFR FSI) is a daily market-based snapshot of stress in global financial markets. It is constructed from 33 financial market variables, such as yield spreads, valuation measures, and interest rates. The OFR FSI is positive when stress levels are above average, and negative when stress levels are below average. The OFR FSI incorporates five categories of indicators: credit, equity valuation, funding, safe assets and volatility. The FSI shows stress contributions by three regions: United States, other advanced economies, and emerging markets."

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- https://www.dailyjobcuts.com/

Job cuts and much more.

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- https://www.zerohedge.com/

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- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

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- https://wallstreetonparade.com/

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- https://www.whatreallyhappened.com/

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- https://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/

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Commentary, highly recommended:

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

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"The more I see of the monied classes,

the better I understand the guillotine."

- George Bernard Shaw

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Oh yeah... beyond words. Any I know anyway...

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And now... The End Game...

Col. Douglas Macgregor, "Ukraine Update: Dangerously Stupid"

Global Research, 11/7/22:

Col. Douglas Macgregor, 

"Ukraine Update:Dangerously Stupid"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Briely..."

“A person who has not been completely alienated, who has remained sensitive and able to feel, who has not lost the sense of dignity, who is not yet ‘for sale’, who can still suffer over the suffering of others, who has not acquired fully the having mode of existence – briefly, a person who has remained a person and not become a thing – cannot help feeling lonely, powerless, isolated in present-day society. He cannot help doubting himself and his own convictions, if not his sanity.”

- Erich Fromm

“I often question my sanity. Occasionally, it replies.”

- Darynda Jones

Musical Interlude: Il Divo, "Wicked Game" ("Melanconia")

Full screen recommended. A must!

Il Divo, "Wicked Game" ("Melanconia") 

(Live In London 2011)

Feel this in your soul...

"A Look to the Heavens"

“This rock structure is not only surreal - it's real. The reason it's not more famous is that it is, perhaps, smaller than one might guess: the capstone rock overhangs only a few meters. Even so, the King of Wings outcrop, located in New Mexico, USA, is a fascinating example of an unusual type of rock structure called a hoodoo. Hoodoos may form when a layer of hard rock overlays a layer of eroding softer rock.

Figuring out the details of incorporating this hoodoo into a night-sky photoshoot took over a year. Besides waiting for a suitably picturesque night behind a sky with few clouds, the foreground had to be artificially lit just right relative to the natural glow of the background. After much planning and waiting, the final shot, featured here, was taken in May 2016. Mimicking the horizontal bar, the background sky features the band of our Milky Way Galaxy stretching overhead.”

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170328.html

"Life's Funny..."

"Life is painful and messed up. It gets complicated at the worst of times, and sometimes you have no idea where to go or what to do. Lots of times people just let themselves get lost, dropping into a wide open, huge abyss. But that's why we have to keep trying. We have to push through all that hurts us, work past all our memories that are haunting us. Sometimes the things that hurt us are the things that make us strongest. A life without experience, in my opinion, is no life at all. And that's why I tell everyone that, even when it hurts, never stop yourself from living."

- Alysha Speer

"The joke was thinking you were ever really in charge of your life. You pressed your oar down into the water to direct the canoe, but it was the current that shot you through the rapids. You just hung on and hoped not to hit a rock or a whirlpool."

- Scott Turow

"Life's funny, chucklehead. You only get one and you don't want to throw it away. But you can't really live it at all unless you're willing to give it up for the things you love. If you're not at least willing to die for something - something that really matters - in the end you die for nothing."

- Andrew Klavan

"On The Verge Of The Worst Homelessness Crisis In The Entire History Of The United States"

"On The Verge Of The Worst Homelessness Crisis

 In The Entire History Of The United States"

by Michael Snyder

'If you live in a major urban area, you may have noticed that “tent cities” are starting to pop up all around you. The worst inflation crisis in decades has combined with the worst drug crisis that we have ever seen to create an unprecedented homelessness crisis. Every night, even more Americans join the rapidly growing “unsanctioned encampments” that are taking up more and more real estate in our largest cities. If things are this bad now, how many of our fellow citizens will be sleeping in the streets when economic conditions are much worse a year or two from today? We are supposed to be the greatest nation on the planet, but with each passing day even more tent cities are established. Our system is failing, and the widespread economic suffering that we are witnessing right now is truly difficult to comprehend.

Just look at what is happening in Sacramento. It is the capital of the California, and tent cities are being established all over the place. In fact, it is being reported that the number of homeless people in Sacramento has risen by nearly 70 percent just since 2019…"During the pandemic, the unhoused population has soared all over California, but the increase in Sacramento has been particularly stunning. The region has seen an almost 70% rise in homelessness since 2019, now counting more unhoused people than San Francisco."

Needless to say, absurd housing prices are one of the main reasons why so many people are being forced out into the cold streets…"The primary force behind the dramatic rise, according to the 2022 point-in-time count, is the high cost of housing. The median home price in the county has surpassed $500,000 and the median monthly rent is $2,774, up more than 5% from last year. Some studios downtown rent for $2,000 a month, said Crystal Sanchez, the president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, while thousands of people sleep outside."

Most middle class families can barely afford to pay $2,000 or more for housing each month. And those that are poor don’t stand a chance. Conditions are very similar up in Portland, Oregon. Housing prices have soared to insane levels, and homelessness is spreading like wildfire. At this point, Mayor Ted Wheeler says that there are “nearly 800 unsanctioned encampments” spread throughout the city…“Nearly 800 unsanctioned encampments spread out over the 146 square miles of the City of Portland,” Wheeler said. “Something needs to change.” But many Portlanders have lost faith in city leaders. In a recent poll conducted by The Oregonian, nearly 75 percent of Portland voters said the city is “on the wrong track.”

At this stage, it has pretty much gotten to a point where you simply cannot avoid the tent cities. Things are so bad right now that there is a possibility that the state of Oregon could actually elect a Republican governor in November…"The race for the governorship remains a tossup, with a new poll showing a narrow lead for the Republican candidate in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 1982. Republican Christine Drazan leads Democrat Tina Kotek in the race, 44 to 41 per cent, according to a new Nelson Research poll, KOIN reported. That gives Drazan a 2-point lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average, having narrowly led in every poll this fall."

I thought that we would never see another Republican governor in that state. It looks like I might have been wrong about that.

Washington D.C. doesn’t have as many “unsanctioned encampments” as Portland does, but the New York Post is reporting that the number of tent cities in the capital of our nation has now grown to 120…"In the past two years, homeless encampments have exploded in Washington D.C., as both the city and federal governments lifted enforcement measures during the COVID-19 pandemic - and made it a no-brainer for itinerants to lay down roots by providing for their every need.

A tour by The Post of the district’s major tourist areas this week found at least 35 vagrants in residence at a National Park Service site two blocks from the White House; more than 20 in the green spaces surrounding the State Department complex; and five across the street from the infamous Watergate Hotel. And these sites accounted for less than 5 percent of the estimated 120 tent cities in Washington D.C. Over a decade ago, I worked in the heart of Washington. And during my entire time there, I didn’t see a single homeless person living in a tent. But now tent cities are all over the place.

Of course a rise in crime often comes along with an explosion in homelessness. In New York City, the rape of a female jogger by a homeless man with 25 prior arrests is making a lot of headlines this week…"Police said the victim was out by Pier 45, near West and Christopher Streets in the West Village, at around 5:30am, when the man, Carl Phanor, 29, grabbed her from behind and choked her until she passed out, the New York Post reports.

Phanor, who has 25 priors and who is wanted for at least two other sex crimes, then removed her clothes, raped her, and then fled the scene on a Citi Bike with her headphones, cell phone and wallet. The shaken victim was spotted by a fellow jogger, and first responders took her to a nearby hospital.

Sadly, the homeless population just continues to rise in New York City with each passing day. In fact, the problem has gotten so severe that the National Guard has now been called in to deal with the crisis…"New York City has called in the National Guard to deal with the rising migrant crisis that is overwhelming homeless shelters and facilities as staff are unable to cope with the surge. National Guard reservists are being deployed to help with day-to-day operations at many shelters, including managing the capacity, distributing food and helping out with staff shortages."

There are over 62,000 people currently living in New York City’s homeless shelters – close to 13,000 of which are migrants, according to the Department of Homeless Services. But this is just the beginning.  Over the next few years, I expect millions of Americans to lose their jobs. And the truth is that it is already starting to happen. Just today, we learned that Stripe will be laying off approximately 14 percent of their entire workforce…"Online payments giant Stripe is laying off roughly 14% of its staff, CEO Patrick Collison wrote in a memo to staff Thursday.

In the memo, Collison said the cuts were necessary amid rising inflation, fears of a looming recession, higher interest rates, energy shocks, tighter investment budgets and sparser startup funding. Taken together, these factors signal “that 2022 represents the beginning of a different economic climate,” he said."

Yes, as I detail in my brand new book, a “different economic climate” is definitely ahead of us. As economic conditions deteriorate, the number of tent cities will grow much larger. So the cold, hard reality of the matter is that our homelessness crisis is only going to intensify from this point forward. I know that may be difficult news to hear, but the truth is that these are difficult times."

- http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/

"And It Speaks To You..."

And why does it make you sad to see how everything hangs by such thin and whimsical threads? Because you’re a dreamer, an incredible dreamer, with a tiny spark hidden somewhere inside you which cannot die, which even you cannot kill or quench and which tortures you horribly because all the odds are against its continual burning. In the midst of the foulest decay and putrid savagery, this spark speaks to you of beauty, of human warmth and kindness, of goodness, of greatness, of heroism, of martyrdom, and it speaks to you of love.”

- Eldridge Cleaver

"Russia's 24 Hour Warning, Millions Evacuating! Diesel Collapse"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 11/6/22:

"Russia's 24 Hour Warning, Millions Evacuating! Diesel Collapse"

"Major events unfolding in the next 48 hours, looming diesel shortage and civil unrest, 3 million evacuation and major destabilizing refugee crisis, Russia warns to get out in 24 hours. Medicine shortages are mounting, Iran and Israel on brink of war, Korean peninsula getting more nukes. Things are hitting the fan in slow motion."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

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Douglas Macgregor, 11/6/22:

"Enraged Russians Nov 7"

The Daily "Near You?"

Calhoun City, Mississippi, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

The Poet: Mary Oliver, "The Journey”

“The Journey”

“One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice -

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

“Mend my life!”

each voice cried.

But you didn’t stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do -

determined to save

the only life you could save.”

- Mary Oliver

"There Comes A Time..."

"Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But, conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right." 

 - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Ukraine's Descent Into Chaos"

Full screen recommended.

Col. Douglas Macgregor, 11/6/22:

"Ukraine's Descent Into Chaos"

"United States and worldwide Geopolitics analysis.

Russia-Ukraine conflict latest news update."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"A Special Moment..."

The Moody Blues, "This Is The Moment"

○

"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour."

- Winston Churchill

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"Get Ready for Power Outages"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly 11/6/22:

"Get Ready for Power Outages"

"There’s a special agency working on preparedness for power outages in the UK. This will come here as well. People need to plan on no power for up to seven days. Also, I found a great report on EV cars and how expensive they are to charge."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"I'm Preparing For A Massive Depression, You Should Too; Don't Ignore The Coming Food Crisis"

Full screen recommended.

Jeremiah Babe, 11/6/22:

"I'm Preparing For A Massive Depression, You Should Too;

 Don't Ignore The Coming Food Crisis"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Strange Prices At Target! This Is Crazy! Stock Up Now!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures with Danno, 11/6/22:

"Strange Prices At Target! This Is Crazy! Stock Up Now!"

"In today's vlog we are at Target and are noticing very strange prices! We are here to check out skyrocketing prices, and the empty shelves situation! It's getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Gonzalo Lira, "The Oil Price Cap Idiocy"

Gonzalo Lira - Again:

"The Oil Price Cap Idiocy"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Greg Hunter, "There May Not Be a 2024 Election – Martin Armstrong"

"There May Not Be a 2024 Election – Martin Armstrong"

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

"Legendary financial and geopolitical cycle analyst Martin Armstrong says, “The cheating in the midterm election next week is going to be so great that it is almost impossible to make a prediction. In a fair midterm election, the Republicans would win the House and the Senate.”

So, what does his Socrates program see for next week? Armstrong, says, “It’s going to be tight, and the Republicans have a shot at taking the House. Technically, they should take the House and the Senate. I am just not sure. The corruption is so bad, it’s crazy. Pennsylvania sent out hundreds of thousands of ballots to people who are not documented or even American. I’ve gotten emails from people in Canada, they are getting mail-in ballots. They mailed them to Canada. Where this ends up, who knows? It’s just so corrupt, it is over the top. It doesn’t matter who wins. Nobody is going to accept this thing, and that is the problem.”

The cheating is going to be so in your face President Trump may not even be able to run for President two years from now. Armstrong contends, “We may not even have an election in 2024. It is not looking very good, and it’s probably because this election is not going to be accepted. When it is so over-the-top corrupt, what do you do for the next one? The United States will not exist after 2032. After 2028 and 2029, we are going to have to redesign a government from scratch. America is being destroyed. Republics always end in absolute corruption. We just saw the same thing happen in Brazil. They staged a major effort to take Bolsonaro out. This is a worldwide effort. They had to get rid of Trump. The other one who stood in their way is Bolsonaro. Then there is Putin (Russia) and Xi Jinping (China). I think you are going to have historians look back at this 50 years from now, and they will call this period ‘The Climate Change Wars’. They are trying to take down as much oil energy capacity as possible.”

Armstrong is still seeing very strong signals on domestic violence everywhere. Armstrong explains, “Our computer is showing it’s going to be a rocket launch for volatility and civil unrest next year.” Armstrong also contends there will be a major loss of confidence in government around the world. That means gold will start having big demand from big money. Armstrong also predicts, “The whole monetary system as we know it is collapsing. That was what the bond crisis in the UK was about.” There is much more in the 1-hour and 7-minute interview.

- https://usawatchdog.com/

Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he goes One-on-One with Martin Armstrong, cycle expert and author of the new book “The Plot to Seize Russia, Manufacturing World War III.”

- https://rumble.com/