Gregory Mannarino, AM 12/20/23
"Prepare Yourself On Every Level For What's Coming"
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So, we rise from the rubble...
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
"World War III Prelude: Israel - Palestine War 12/20/23"
Full screen recommended.
Scott Ritter, 12/20/23
"IDF Are Panicked Conscripts, They Suck,
They Can't Fight A Real Military Like Hamas"
Comments here:
A Comment You're Not Gonna Like: I saw a report that since October 7 Israel has dropped over 6,000 2,000 lb. bombs on the densely populated urban Gaza, killing 21,000 old people, women, and 7,000 children helpless to escape, genocidal crimes against humanity which the US, to our eternal shame and disgrace, allows and supports. What kind of MONSTERS do this? IDF, real tough guys, huh, shooting women and children. I was a US Marine back in the day, and I know what tough looks like, and you bloodthirsty, cowardly little inhuman racist girlie-boys ain't it, a lesson you're about to learn the very hard way from real men, and you deserve every damn bit of what's coming! In total disgust and contempt I'd spit in your face but you're not even worth that. And America? Absolute shame and disgrace on us for allowing and supporting this slaughter! This is NOT the country I swore allegiance to long ago, and would not do so now. That's my opinion, and I don't give a damn who doesn't like it... CP
o
Now, IDF, watch this and be afraid. Be very afraid...
Scott Ritter, 12/20/23
"Israel Will LOSE Its War on Gaza
and the US is Powerless to Stop It"
"Former UN Weapons Inspector and US Marine Corps Intelligence officer
Scott Ritter reacts to Israel's military operation and how it has backfired in a huge way."
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
Hindustan Times, 12/20/23
"Hezbollah’s Rocket Blitz On Israel;
7 IDF Soldiers Killed By Al-Quds; U.S.’ Jibe At Zelensky"
Hezbollah claims to have fired rockets and mortar shells at Israel’s Yiftah settlement and added that they hit their targets. The Lebanon-based group also added that it will not tolerate IDF attacks on civilians in both Gaza and Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israel is also paying a heavy price for its Gaza onslaught. Seven Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed in battles with the Al Quds brigades. Meanwhile, the United States of America took a jibe at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Responding to Zelensky’s “America won’t betray us” remark, the U.S. State Department has said that there is no “magic pot.”
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
Hindustan Times, 12/20/23
"'Bring It On America':
Houthis Flaunt Air Power In ‘Top Gun’-Style Video"
"Houthis flaunted their air power in an undated video that surfaced after the U.S. announced a 10-nation task force to counter the Yemeni rebels’ continuous attacks in the Red Sea. Popular American film Top Gun’s song ‘Danger Zone’ is playing in the background of the undated video which shows a Houthi air force pilot flying a fighter jet. Houthis have continued its attacks in the Red Sea even as the U.S.-led naval force is taking shape."
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o
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
"Breaking: Iran Mobilizes 33,000 Naval Vessels For War; Yemen War About To Begin"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 12/19/23
"Breaking: Iran Mobilizes 33,000 Naval Vessels For War;
Yemen War About To Begin"
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"62 Percent Of Americans Live Paycheck To Paycheck And The Bottom Of The Economic Food Chain Is Already Collapsing"
"62 Percent Of Americans Live Paycheck To Paycheck
And The Bottom Of The Economic Food Chain Is Already Collapsing"
by Michael Snyder
"Thanks to a soaring stock market, the wealthy are feeling very good about things right now, but the rest of the country is really hurting. Homelessness is rising at the fastest pace ever recorded, the number of children that are suffering from hunger is rapidly growing, and more than 60 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. The mainstream media continues to insist that the economy is in good shape, but how can that possibly be true if nearly two-thirds of the entire nation is just barely scraping by? According to brand new numbers that were just released, the percentage of U.S. adults that live paycheck to paycheck has actually increased by 4 percent just since the month of March…"Sixty-two percent of adults in December said they live paycheck to paycheck, up from 58 percent in March. Forty percent of consumers living paycheck to paycheck have super-prime credit scores. Fifty-seven percent of consumers who own credit cards are living paycheck to paycheck."
Yikes! But even though most of the country is living on the edge financially, 96 percent of shoppers say that they plan to “overspend” this holiday season…"This year, holiday spending from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 is expected to increase between 3% and 4% over last year to a record total of $957.3 billion to $966.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.
Even as credit card debt tops $1 trillion, almost all - or 96% - of shoppers said they expect to overspend this season, a separate TD Bank survey found. Half of consumers plan to take on more debt to cover those holiday expenses, according to another report by Ally Bank. Only 23% have a plan to pay it off within one to two months."
Are you kidding me? Needless to say, those numbers are yet another confirmation of what I wrote about yesterday. We just can’t help ourselves. No matter how much we already have, we always feel the need to have more. But even though we continue to spend more money, we certainly aren’t better off than in past years. Just check out these new poll numbers…
"Almost half of voters say the Biden administration’s economic policies have hurt them and only 14 percent say they are better off, according to yet another poll that suggests President Joe Biden is struggling to get his message across ahead of next year’s election. Even he realizes it, quietly benching the term ‘Bidenomics’ in speeches during the past month. Overall, his economic policies have a 32-point disapproval rating in a new survey for Fox News, with far more voters feeling they have been hurt than helped.
The people that are doing better off are those at the very top of the economic food chain. The stock market has been doing really well in recent weeks, but some experts are warning that this is just a temporary phenomenon. In fact, Harry Dent is warning that “2024 is going to be the biggest single crash year we’ll see in our lifetimes”…"As the clock ticks closer to 2024, one outspoken economist is making a dire predication about the markets in the new year.
“Since 2009, this has been 100% artificial, unprecedented money printing and deficits; $27 trillion over 15 years, to be exact. This is off the charts, 100% artificial, which means we’re in a dangerous state,” Harry Dent told Fox News Digital. “I think 2024 is going to be the biggest single crash year we’ll see in our lifetimes.”
For some reason, he is pointing to the month of May as a time when things will get really bad…“If I’m right, it is going to be the biggest crash of our lifetime, most of it happening in 2024. You’re going to see it start and be more obvious by May,” the analyst stressed. “So if you just get out for six to 12 months and stuff stays at the highest valuation history, maybe you miss a little more gains if I’m wrong. If I’m right, you’re going to save massive losses and be able to reinvest a year or year-and-a-half from now at unbelievably low prices and magnify your gains beyond compare.”
Of course predicting a stock market crash in 2024 isn’t exactly going out on a limb. It is kind of like predicting that the sky will be blue or the Jets will stink.At this stage, everyone can see that the stock market bubble is on borrowed time. Meanwhile, the bottom of the economic food chain is already collapsing…
• U.S. food banks are dealing with unprecedented demand.
• Homelessness in the United States is growing at the fastest pace ever recorded.
The homelessness crisis is particularly dire in the state of California. If you can believe it, California accounts for almost half of all people living in the streets in the entire country…"California counted 181,399 people experiencing homelessness in January. Of those, 123,423 people (68%) were “unsheltered”, meaning living outside in tents, cars or other makeshift shelters, as opposed to indoor shelters or temporary setups. At 68%, the state has a greater share of its homeless population living outdoors than any other state and accounts for 49% of all people living on the streets in the US."
In most states, a majority of the homeless population is indoors. New York, for example, has one of the largest overall homeless populations, but only 4.9% were on the streets. In my new book, I encourage those that are living in the state of California to consider relocating. The state possesses immense natural beauty, but the left has turned it into a nightmare.
When an economic crisis arrives, it is those that are at the bottom of the food chain that often feel it first. The bottom of the economic food chain in the United States is already collapsing, and it won’t be too long before those at the very top feel a tremendous amount of pain as well."
Adventures With Danno, "Is Our Food Supply In Danger? This Is All Falling Apart!"
Adventures With Danno, PM 12/19/23
"Is Our Food Supply In Danger?
This Is All Falling Apart!"
"Food recalls everywhere! We discuss the massive amount of food recalls happening all around the world. The newest to date are spinach, chicken, and an investigation as to whether applesauce packets with cinnamon that had heavy amounts of lead in them were intentional!"
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Gerald Celente, "Prince Of Peace? No Peace On Earth"
Very strong language alert!
Gerald Celente, Trends Journal 12/19/23
"Prince Of Peace? No Peace On Earth"
"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present facts and truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for what’s next in these increasingly turbulent times."
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Musical Interlude: Neil H, "At Peace With The Forest"
Full screen recommended.
Neil H, "At Peace With The Forest"
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What is causing the picturesque ripples of supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5? The ripples, as well as the greater nebula, were imaged in unprecedented detail by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006 and again late last year. The red color was recoded by a Hubble filter that left only the light emitted by energetic hydrogen. The precise reason for the ripples remains unknown, with two considered origin hypotheses relating them to relatively dense portions of either ejected or impacted gas.
Click image for larger size.
The reason for the broader red glowing ring is more clear, with expansion speed and light echos relating it to a classic Type Ia supernova explosion that must have occurred about 400 years earlier. SNR 0509 currently spans about 23 light years and lies about 160,000 light years away toward the constellation of the dolphinfish (Dorado) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The expanding ring carries with it another great mystery, however: why wasn't this supernova seen 400 years ago when light from the initial blast should have passed the Earth?”
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110125.html
The Universe
“Let's go back in time. Way back. Before there was even a you. Good. Now further back. Before there were mountains. Right. Now before there were oceans. Cool. Now before there were planets. Bravo. Now before there was time and space. Wow. What's left? Right, there was only me, Universal awareness. And what is awareness, but thought? Love it. So, if where there was only "thought," there are now suns and moons and planets. Mountains and rivers and oceans. People and places and pets. What must they all be made of? Right. And look who's thinking now... You? You are thinking now? Are you sure? But if "where" there was only me there's now you, who must you really be?”
“Nice roots,”
The Universe
"Tell Yourself...'
“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.”
- Louise Erdrich
"Reality Avoidance"
"Reality Avoidance"
by Morris Berman
"It’s quite amazing how the news is endlessly about race, or gender, or very little that has anything to do with reality, which the Mainstream Media and the American people avoid like the plague. What then is real?
"The American Empire at Sunset"
"The American Empire at Sunset"
by Brian Maher
"The year is 1991… Contrary to Mr. Khrushchev’s boast decades prior, the United States had buried the Soviet Union. Its forces had just trounced the world’s fourth-largest army - Iraq’s - within weeks. America bestrode the world like a new colossus… and put all potential rivals in its shade. Its armies bossed the four corners of the globe. Its fleets commanded the Seven Seas. Declared India’s former Army Chief of Staff: “The lesson of Desert Storm is, don’t fight with the United States without a nuclear weapon.” It was the Pax Americana… the “end of history.”
American capitalism, American democracy represented civilization’s apex, its zenith, its perfection. Yet the gods are a jealous lot. They are hot to put down any mortal who has outgrown its britches. Hubris they will not abide...
The Worst Thing the Russians Ever Did To America: Perhaps Russian political scientist Georgi Arbatov divined their wicked intentions at the end of Soviet rule… As he sneered - with a sort of purring relish - “We are going to do the worst thing we can do to you.” Which was what precisely? “We are going to take your enemy away from you.”
We fear he was correct. A superpower needs an enemy as the policeman needs criminals… as the psychiatrist needs madmen… as the Church needs the devil. Absent an enemy it loses its direction. Its vigor. Its éllan vital. It flounders, adrift, aimless and rudderless. Between world wars, berserker Winston Churchill lamented "the bland skies of peace" that stretched above Earth. Those same bland skies of peace overhung Earth at the Cold War’s conclusion.
Now jump ahead 32 years… after heavy weather has rolled on through… after the gods have worked their mischievous will…
A Changed World: America had another go at Iraq - to liberate it from its own ruler and introduce it to Thomas Jefferson. The result may represent its greatest foreign policy blunder yet - greater even than Vietnam.
And if Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires… the flags had come down to half-mast… and the pallbearers loaded America’s empire into the hearse. “You Americans have the watches,” said the Taliban. “But we have the time.” And they did - have the time.
Americans are a restless, fitful people. We are eternally on the jump, forever hunting the next opportunity, perpetually peeking over the next hill. That is, Americans are poor imperialists. We simply lack the requisite patience. We have the watches, yes. But not the time. The American founders studied their history… and knew the pitfalls of empire…
Destroying Monsters Abroad: America “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy,” said Adams (John Quincy). But the once modest American Republic took up the hunt at the end of the 20th century. It found its first monster in fiendish Spain… Americans remembered the Maine. And forgot their Adams. They have been forgetting their Adams ever since...
America has gone buccaneering around the globe, chasing down monsters during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq (twice), Libya and Afghanistan. For every one it scotched, another rose in its place. Hitler took over from the Kaiser. Stalin from Hitler. Osama bin Laden from Stalin. Perhaps Chairman Xi will take over from Osama bin Laden?
We do not know. But if not him, we hazard another monster will. There is always another. And another. What of American democracy and capitalism - the world’s envy three decades prior?
The Glory of American Democracy: The high glories of American democracy are presently displayed before a watching world… Americans are at each other’s throats, red-state America and blue-state America. American cities have been scenes of riot, of mayhem, of chaos. Statues of old heroes are down. The nation’s founding myths are called into contempt and ridicule. Millions and millions believe the elections were rigged and thieved, fraudulent and illegitimate.
Are they right? Are they wrong? We refuse to wade into the bog. We take no official stance. Yet if masses of American voters no longer trust the electoral process… what does it speak for American democracy?
Is this the alabaster city shining on the hill, glistening in the mists? Is this the model the world would mimic? Is this the cause American soldiers have killed and died for? As an American patriot in whose veins course the reddest blood, we hope it is not. Yet we begin to harbor grave doubts. China has ventured so far as to label American democracy a “joke.” But few appreciate the jest.
The Long, Withdrawing Roar of American Capitalism: Covid reduced American capitalism to a sad, sad caricature. But scroll the calendar backward, before the pandemic. The economy appeared healthy enough on the surface. But if you scratched the paint… and looked deeper… you would find: Gutted industries, stagnating growth, flat wages and a stock market that is captive of the central bank.
The entire system, meantime, is rotten through with unpayable debt — some $163.2 trillion and running. It is not sustainable.
When did the American economy go wrong? And why? Our own Charles Hugh Smith gives his answer: "In broad-brush, the post-World War II era ended around 1970. The legitimate prosperity of 1946-1970 was based on cheap oil controlled by the U.S. and the hegemony of the U.S. dollar. Everything else was merely decoration.
The Original Sin to hard-money advocates was America's abandonment of the gold standard in 1971, but this was the only way to maintain hegemony. Maintaining the reserve currency is tricky, as the nation issuing the reserve currency has to supply the global economy with enough of the currency to grease commerce and stock central bank reserves around the world.
As the global economy expanded, the only way the U.S. could send enough dollars overseas was to run trade deficits, which in a gold standard meant the gold reserves would go to zero as trading partners holding dollars would exchange the currency for gold.
So the choice was: give up the reserve currency and the hegemony of the U.S. dollar by jacking up the dollar's value so high that imports would collapse, or accept that hegemony was no longer compatible with the gold standard. It wasn't a difficult decision: who would give up global hegemony, and for what?
The elites have cannibalized the system so thoroughly that there's nothing left to steal, exploit or cannibalize. The hyper-centralized global money control has run out of rope as the cheap oil is gone, debts have ballooned to the point there is no way they'll ever be paid down, and the only thing staving off collapse is money-printing, which holds the seeds of its own demise."
Charles tells a woeful tale. Yet we believe there is good, hard sense in it. It is a competent autopsy.
“Empires have a logic of their own,” Bill Bonner and our intrepid leader Addison Wiggin wrote in "Empire of Debt", concluding: “That they will end in grief is a foregone conclusion.” It seems so. But if the American empire is ending in grief, we hope for a quiet grief, a whimpering grief - not a banging grief. Meantime, the gods watch the unfolding spectacle... munching popcorn… as the will of Zeus moves toward its ultimate end."
“6 Steps to Release Your Fear and Feel Peaceful”
“6 Steps to Release Your Fear and Feel Peaceful”
by Nicolas Perrin
“We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.”
~ Mary Catherine Bateson
“It was a balmy spring morning and I started my day as per usual, but I soon realized that my mind was entertaining fearful thoughts about my financial insecurity. With many new ventures within the seedling stage, my income flow was erratic and unpredictable, while my financial responsibilities were consistent and guaranteed. At the time I ignored these thoughts as “petty,” like a parent dismissing a crying child after a mild fall on the pavement.
What I didn’t realize was that my mind wanted to entertain these fear-based thoughts like a Hollywood blockbuster, and as you may know, what you focus on expands. Before I knew it, my body was in a state of complete anxiety and fear. I literally felt my cognitive and creative centers shutting down. I felt completely powerless, a hostage to my own mind. My body felt paralyzed, and I felt disconnected from my talents and gifts. I felt separate, isolated, and vulnerable. I became a victim of the fear. In this moment I realized the powerful impact thoughts can have on how we feel, mentally and physically. Here is what unfolded through me, and the lessons I treasured from this experience.
Fear is a closed energy, referred to as inverted faith. Fear exists when we do not trust our connection to the infinite part of who we are and buy into a story about what’s unfolding in our life. The emotions we feel are created from the thoughts that we choose to focus on, consciously or unconsciously. The emotions act as markers to let us know if we are focusing on expansive, empowering thoughts or fearful, limiting thoughts.
If I were to relate this in a story, it may be like a pilot believing he no longer had any guidance or support from the airport control tower in a large storm, and no instruments on board to detect if he was on a collision course with another airplane. If the control tower represents the infinite part of who we are, which always knows what’s best for us, it can be understandable why the pilot with no other guidance except for his own eye sight would be fearful of the situation at hand. An alarm on the plane beeping at the pilot would represent the emotions. The alarm’s purpose is to get the attention of the pilot so he can focus and realize he is off the path. Once our emotions start to take a grip of our physical body, what can we do to move from a state of limitation and fear into an open, tranquil, peaceful state?
1. Come back to the present moment. The first step is to bring your awareness to the present moment. To do this, take three deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth. After the air has filled your lungs and you’ve felt your stomach rise, exhale through your mouth by forcing the air through your teeth, as if you were hissing out loud. This detoxifies your body from the heavy emotions you’re experiencing and brings you back into the present moment. When I do this, I place my awareness into my feet so I am in a feeling space within my body, rather than being in my mind, entertaining the stories that swirl around with vigor, like a dangerous hurricane. Imagine that all your emotions are in a large sludge bucket. This breathing technique will empty the bucket out so you are empty and free.
2. Put things in perspective. Now that you are present, acknowledge the experience and ask yourself this question: “What is the worst case scenario that can happen to me?” Once we can accept this and realize we will be okay if that happens, we are free from the fear. When I realized I’d blown things out of proportion with my fears, I was able to detach from the story and put things into perspective. I like to imagine that in every moment I have two wolves I can feed (per the Native American myth): the fear wolf or the love wolf. The one that gets stronger and wins is the one I feed.
3. Become an observer of your thoughts. What has served me well in moments like this is to say, “I’m not these thoughts. I’m not these emotions. I’m not this body. I’m an infinite being having a human experience.” In saying this, we immediately detach from the story and allow ourselves the choice of suffering or to become the observer. Imagine that your life is represented in a book, and the story you are living out comes from the words on the page. We can change the words of the story at any point in time.
4. Change your experience. The fourth step is to place your awareness and your right hand on the heart center, which is located near the sternum. Close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and make the following command: “I am now connected to the infinite part of who I am, which already knows how to be whole and complete. I take full responsibility and accountability for this creation, I recognize how it has served me, and I am now ready to let it go. I command that the fear energy be transmuted into unconditional love now. Thank you. It is now done.” This process is incredibly empowering. We allow ourselves the opportunity to experience being our own inner master and a co-creator of our reality.
5. Prevent your mind from sabotaging you. Visualize a stone being thrown into a pond. Observe the ripples it creates when it enters the water. This is to simply distract your mind and allow the process to unfold without doubt or self-sabotage. It is only our mind that can interfere with our own healing.
6. Be grateful. Express gratitude and appreciation for the integration and healing you have received. The key to happiness is awareness. When we become aware that our mind is wandering, we can gently bring it back to the present moment. It’s only in the present moment that we are empowered and can consciously choose the thoughts we engage with. The thoughts we focus on will determine where our energy flows, and thus what is created in our life. Each thought has a vibration, which is reflected by the feeling we experience in our body. To be able to move from a fear-based experience to an open, peaceful experience we must first take full responsibility and accountability that on some level we created the experience, and nobody else is to blame. The choice is truly ours. Do we choose to experience a fearful, limited life or do we choose a happy joyful life?"
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Reduce fear, good. Reduce stress also...
Full screen recommended.
Marconi Union, "Weightless"
"Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song
Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent"
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Think more clearly...
Full screen recommended.
"Cognition Enhancer For Clearer and Faster Thinking -
Isochronic Tones"
"This session stimulates Beta, SMR and Alpha to train your
brain for better cognition, such as clearer and faster thinking."
“Complexity Theory: The Avalanche And The Snowflake”
“Complexity Theory: The Avalanche And The Snowflake”
by James Rickards
“One of my favorites is what I call ‘the avalanche and the snowflake’. It’s a metaphor for the way the science actually works, but I should be clear: it’s not just a metaphor. The science, the mathematics and the dynamics are actually the same as those that exist in financial markets.
Imagine you’re on a mountainside. You can see a snowpack building up on the ridgeline while it continues snowing. You can tell just by looking at the scene that there’s danger of an avalanche. It’s windswept… it’s unstable… and if you’re an expert, you know it’s going to collapse and kill skiers and wipe out the village below. You see a snowflake fall from the sky onto the snowpack. It disturbs a few other snowflakes that lie there. Then, the snow starts to spread… then it starts to slide… then it gains momentum until, finally, it comes loose and the whole mountain comes down and buries the village.
Question: What do you blame? Do you blame the snowflake, or do you blame the unstable pack of snow? I say the snowflake’s irrelevant. If it wasn’t the one snowflake that caused the avalanche, it could have been the one before, or the one after, or the one tomorrow. The instability of the system as a whole was the problem. So when I think about the risks in the financial system, I don’t focus on the ‘snowflake’ that will cause problems. The trigger doesn’t matter.
A snowflake that falls harmlessly – the vast majority of all snowflakes – technically fails to start a chain reaction. Once a chain reaction begins, it expands exponentially, can ‘go critical’ (as in an atomic bomb) and release enough energy to destroy a city. However, most neutrons do not start nuclear chain reactions, just as most snowflakes do not start avalanches.
In the end, it’s not about the snowflakes or neutrons. It’s about the initial critical state conditions that allow the possibility of a chain reaction or an avalanche. These can be hypothesized and observed at large scale, but the exact moment the chain reaction begins cannot be observed. That’s because it happens on a minute scale relative to the system. This is why some people refer to these snowflakes as ‘black swans’, because they are unexpected and come by surprise. But they’re actually not a surprise if you understand the system’s dynamics and can estimate the system scale.
It’s a metaphor, but really the mathematics behind it are the same. Financial markets today are huge, unstable mountains of snow waiting to collapse. You see it in the gross notional value of derivatives. There is $700 trillion worth of swaps. ($2.5 Quadrillion by other reputable estimates. – CP) These are derivatives off balance sheet, hidden liabilities in the banking system of the world. These numbers are not made up. Just go to the IS annual report and it’s right there in the footnote.
Well, how do you put $700 trillion into perspective? It’s ten times global GDP. Take all the goods and services in the entire world for an entire year. That’s about $70 trillion when you add it all up. Well, take ten times that, and that’s how big the snow pile is. And that’s the avalanche that’s waiting to come down.”
"I Am An Invisible Man..."
"I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids - and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination - indeed, everything and anything except me."
- Ralph Ellison, "Prologue to Invisible Man"
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"The Difference..."
"One of life's best coping mechanisms is to know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire – then you’ve got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat and a lump in the breast are not the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference."
- Robert Fulghum
"The Biggest Spike In Homelessness Ever Recorded Is A Sign That The U.S. Economy Is Plunging Into An Abyss Of Pain And Suffering"
"The Biggest Spike In Homelessness Ever Recorded Is A Sign
That The U.S. Economy Is Plunging Into An Abyss Of Pain And Suffering"
by Michael Snyder
"At least things are still good for those at the very top of the food chain. But for everyone else, economic conditions have already become very painful. Today, the vast majority of Americans have less money than they did prior to the pandemic, and thanks to raging inflation our standard of living is steadily going down. We are in the early stages of “the greatest real estate correction” in our history, and 1 out of every five children in the United States does not have enough food to eat. With each passing day, more members of the middle class join the ranks of the poor, and more poor people find themselves getting kicked out into the streets. According to the Wall Street Journal, new numbers show that the number of homeless people in the United States has reached a brand new record high…
The U.S. count of homeless people surged to the highest level on record, reaching more than 653,000 people early this year as Covid-19 pandemic-aid spending faded, new federal data show. The increase reflects a collision of factors: rising housing costs; limited affordable housing units; the opioid epidemic; and the expired pandemic-era aid that had helped keep people in their homes, federal officials said Friday.
In addition to having more homeless people in this country than ever before, additional people are becoming homeless at the fastest pace on record…"Homelessness shot up by more than 12% this year, reaching 653,104 people. The numbers represent the sharpest increase and largest unhoused population since the federal government began tallying totals in 2007, the U.S. Department of Urban Planning and Development said Friday. Last year, federal data showed 582,462 people experienced homelessness."
We have literally never seen a spike in homelessness like this before. It is being reported that prior to these new numbers “the previous largest increase was a spike of 2.7 percent recorded in 2019”. Just think about that for a moment. At no point during the “Great Recession” did we see an increase in homelessness like this. Essentially the floodgates have opened up and an absolutely massive tsunami of homelessness has begun.
Sadly, some groups are being hit much harder than others…Black people made up 13% of the U.S. population in 2023, but they made up 21% of the U.S. population living in poverty, 37% of all people experiencing homelessness and 50% of homeless people in families with children. Asian and Asian American people had the largest percentage increase in homelessness, up 40% from 2022, to a total of 11,574. Hispanic and Latino people saw the largest numerical increase, up 28% from 2022 to 179,336 in 2023.
And please keep in mind that these are the ones that they can actually count. How many more homeless Americans are out there that can’t be found or that don’t want to be found? Of course many of you don’t need me to tell you that we have a homelessness crisis in America. All you have to do to see it is to step outside your front door.
In San Francisco, residents have to do “the Poopie Dance” as they go to work because so many homeless people use the streets as a toilet…"They call it ‘The Poopie Dance’ and San Franciscans are having to learn it – and quickly. It involves constantly looking straight ahead to find a clean line between where you are on the street and where you want to go." Sadly, it’s the reality in parts of the Bay City as the growing homeless population have taken to using the famed streets of San Francisco as one giant open-air toilet.
So why is this happening? Well, the truth is that there are a lot of factors that are contributing to this crisis, but one of the biggest is the fact that housing in the U.S. is now more unaffordable than it has ever been before…"High housing costs continue to be a financial stressor for the poorest Americans. In recent years, more people in the U.S. are rent-burdened, according to HUD, meaning they spend more than 30% or even over 50% of their income on rent."
Of course just about everything is less affordable these days. For example, just check out what a new Ford F-150 will cost you these days…"For the 2024 F-150 XLT, in the two-door rear-wheel-drive base-everything configuration, the MSRP before “destination and delivery charges” is $47,620 per Ford’s website today. The “destination and delivery charges” of $1,995 give the truck a total MSRP of $49,615. The average transaction price for all new vehicles sold is about $46,000, according to J.D. Power. A fully decked-out high-end F-series 4×4 Crew Cab can be well over $100,000."
Ouch! A new truck is out of reach for most Americans at this point. And actually “a middle class lifestyle” is out of reach for most Americans at this point. The numbers that the government gives us say that we aren’t officially in a recession at this moment, but to most of us it certainly feels like a recession has already begun…
"That’s according to a recent survey conducted by Bankrate, which found 59% of U.S. adults feel like the economy is in a recession, defined by two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Regardless of income, households said they are feeling the pressure at about the same amount. Sixty percent of respondents in the lowest-income households, making under $50,000 a year, said the economy feels like it is in a recession. Of those in higher-income households making more than $100,000 annually, 61% agreed."
I wish that I could tell you that economic conditions will improve in 2024 and beyond. But I can’t do that, because the truth is that they are going to get worse. The U.S. economy really is plunging into an abyss, and so much pain and suffering is ahead. So if you have a warm home to sleep in tonight, be thankful, because there are countless others that do not."
Dan, I Allegedly, "Don’t Fall for This Credit Trap"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly 12/19/23
"Don’t Fall for This Credit Trap"
"Ever been tempted by those "no interest, no payments" deals? Well, it's time to wake up to the fact that the banks aren't your pals in this game. In this video, I'm exposing how daily interest charges and the allure of postponing payments can lead to a financial nightmare. Don't be one of the 68% who fall for it and get slapped with staggering interest rates."
Comments here:
"Honey Badgers"
Full screen recommended.
OpenmindedThinker Show, 12/19/23
"Yemeni Military Dares US Coalition In Red Sea,
Board Two More Ships!"
o
"Honey Badgers"
Scott Ritter has humorously described the Yemeni Houthis as "the honey badgers of the Middle East, absolutely fearless and relentlessly ferocious." They just simply don't care. They've declared war on Israel while all the other Muslim states except Algeria just talk, and daily send missiles and drones to attack Israel. They totally control the 12 mile wide Bab-el-Mandab ("Gate of Grief") strait connecting the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, which transits 40% of the world's oil. Closing that would have catastrophic consequences on global economies, and the Houthis know it. And so it is...
Full screen recommended.
Wildacious, 12/15/23
"Honey Badger Takes Savagery to a Whole New Level"
"Honey badgers are the Italian mafia of the animal kingdom. No one, and I mean no one, wants to mess with these savages. They literally woke up and chose violence on the daily. They are regarded as the most fearless animal in the wild and they back that up every day, all while looking like a ferret on steroids.
Honey badgers woke up and chose violence. They'll combat anything from lions, leopards, hyenas and even cobras and pythons. But how did they become so fearless? How do these compact sized danger-weasels take on the deadliest predators like it was a regular Sunday’s brunch with the girls? These are moments of honey badgers being straight up savages. Let's get into it."
Comments here:
Adventures With Danno, "Stocking Up On These Items At Meijer Before Prices Skyrocket!"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 12/19/23
"Stocking Up On These Items At Meijer Before Prices Skyrocket!
Get Ready, It's Gonna Get Bad!"
Comments here:
World War III Prelude: Israel - Palestine War 12/19/23"
Full screen recommended.
Hindustan Times, 12/19/23
"Houthis Warn To Turn Red Sea Into 'Graveyard'
Over U.S.-led Naval Task Force; Attack Another Ship""
"Unswayed by the U.S.-led 10-nation Naval task force to quell their attacks in the Red Sea, Iran-backed Houthi rebels issued a warning and launched an attack on another ship. The Yemen-based rebels launched a fresh attack on another ship at the entrance of the Red Sea. The vessel was reportedly surrounded by small boats with 4-5 people on them and forced to change course. The Houthis also warned that they will turn the Red Sea into a graveyard following the U.S.' announcement of a new task force."
Comments here:
And the mighty $13 billion dollar aircraft carriers sent to the region? One precision guided missile which destroys the flight deck so nothing takes off or lands and what's left is a huge floating target, which will be rapidly sunk....
o
Full screen recommended.
OpenmindedThinker Show, 12/19/23
"This is the Biggest Offensive
From The Resistance In Lebanon!"
Comments here:
Note: Hezbollah beat Israel to a standoff in the 2006 conflict, and has immensely improved since then anticipating the next war. Doug Macgregor said they have 140,000 missiles which can hit anywhere in Israel. They have over 100,000 battle-hardened professional soldiers, fully and extensively well armed and trained, and huge artillery resources.
o
Full screen recommended.
Scott Ritter, 12/19/23
"Israel Will Literally Face Strategic Defeat
If Hezbollah Jumps Into Gaza War w/Both Feet"
Comments here:
"Alert! Iron Domes Destroyed! 15 USA Bases/Nukes On Russia's Border! Massive Cyberattack; Iran Bombed!"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 12/19/23
"Alert! Iron Domes Destroyed! 15 USA Bases/Nukes
On Russia's Border! Massive Cyberattack; Iran Bombed!"
Comments here:
We're building 15 military bases, with nuclear weapons, in Finland near the Russian border?! What complete and utter psychopathic insanity! What do you expect the Russian response will be? Ukraine wanted membership in NATO, at US urging of course, and intended for nuclear weapons to be placed very near the Russian border, despite countless warnings that was totally unacceptable, a red line not to be crossed. They tried to cross it anyway and join NATO. Ask 500,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers and 78,000 dead Russians how that worked out...
Monday, December 18, 2023
Jeremiah Babe, "The Mall Was Dead Today; They Are Purposely Going To Destroy The Dollar"
Jeremiah Babe, 12/18/23
"The Mall Was Dead Today;
They Are Purposely Going To Destroy The Dollar"
Comments here:
"A Look to the Heavens"
"These cosmic clouds have blossomed 1,300 light-years away, in the fertile starfields of the constellation Cepheus. Called the Iris Nebula, NGC 7023 is not the only nebula to evoke the imagery of flowers. Still, this deep telescopic image shows off the Iris Nebula's range of colors and symmetries, embedded in surrounding fields of interstellar dust.
Within the Iris itself, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot, young star. The dominant color of the brighter reflection nebula is blue, characteristic of dust grains reflecting starlight. Central filaments of the reflection nebula glow with a faint reddish photoluminesence as some dust grains effectively convert the star's invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Infrared observations indicate that this nebula contains complex carbon molecules known as PAHs. The dusty blue petals of the Iris Nebula span about six light-years."
The Poet: J.R.R. Tolkien, "I Sit And Think"
"I Sit And Think"
“I sit beside the fire and think
Of all that I have seen,
Of meadow flowers and butterflies
In summers that have been.
Of yellow leaves and gossamer
In autumns that there were,
With morning mist and silver sun
And wind upon my hair.
I sit beside the fire and think
Of how the world will be
When winter comes without a spring
That I shall never see.
For still there are so many things
That I have never seen,
In every wood, in every spring,
There is a different green.
I sit beside the fire and think
Of people long ago,
And people that will see a world
That I shall never know.
But all the while I sit and think
Of times there were before,
I listen for returning feet
And voices at the door.”
- J.R.R. Tolkien
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