'A Look to the Heavens"

"This popular group leaps into the early evening sky around the March equinox and the northern hemisphere spring. Famous as the Leo Triplet, the three magnificent galaxies found in the prominent constellation Leo gather here in one astronomical field of view. Crowd pleasers when imaged with even modest telescopes, they can be introduced individually as NGC 3628 (right), M66 (upper left), and M65 (bottom). All three are large spiral galaxies but tend to look dissimilar, because their galactic disks are tilted at different angles to our line of sight.

NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy, is temptingly seen edge-on, with obscuring dust lanes cutting across its puffy galactic plane. The disks of M66 and M65 are both inclined enough to show off their spiral structure. Gravitational interactions between galaxies in the group have left telltale signs, including the tidal tails and warped, inflated disk of NGC 3628 and the drawn out spiral arms of M66. This gorgeous view of the region spans over 1 degree (two full moons) on the sky in a frame that covers over half a million light-years at the trio's estimated distance of 30 million light-years. Of course the spiky foreground stars lie well within our own Milky Way."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210320.html

"Look To This Day..."

"Look to this day

for it is life,

the very life of life.

In its brief course lie all

the realities and truths of existence,

the joy of growth ,

the splendor of action,

the glory of power.

For yesterday is but a memory,

And tomorrow is only a vision.

But today well lived

makes every yesterday a memory

of happiness,

and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day..."

- Kalidasa

"We Are Trapped In A Truman Show Directed By Psychopaths" (Excerpt)

"We Are Trapped In A Truman Show

Directed By Psychopaths"

by Jim Quinn

Excerpt: “Whether in actual fact the policy of the boot-on-the-face can go on indefinitely seems doubtful. My own belief is that the ruling oligarchy will find less arduous and wasteful ways of governing and of satisfying its lust for power, and these ways will resemble those which I described in Brave New World. Within the next generation I believe that the world’s rulers will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging and kicking them into obedience.” - Aldous Huxley, letter to George Orwell about "1984" in 1949

“There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution” - Aldous Huxley

When I step back from the day-to-day minutia and trivialities flooding my senses from all directions and media devices, it almost appears as if I’m living in a highly scripted reality TV program where the characters and plots are designed to create passions and reactions to support whatever narrative is being weaved by those directing the show. Huxley really did foresee the future as clearly and concisely as anyone could, decades before his dystopian vision came to fruition.

Orwell’s boot on the face vision is only now being initiated because a few too many critical thinkers have awoken from their pharmaceutically induced stupor and begun to question the plotline of this spectacle masquerading as our reality. The mass formation psychosis infecting the weak-minded masses; relentless mass propaganda designed to mislead, misinform, and brainwash a dumbed down and government indoctrinated populace; and complete control of the story line through media manipulation, regulation, and censorship of the truth; has run its course. As Charles Mackay stated 180 years ago, the masses go mad as a herd, but only regain their senses slowly, and one by one.

My recognition that the world seems to be scripted and directed by Machiavellian managers, working behind a dark shroud, representing an invisible governing authority, molding our minds, suggesting our ideas, dictating our tastes, and creating fear, triggered a recollection of the 1998 Jim Carrey movie – "The Truman Show." The movie, directed by Peter Weir (Gallipoli, Witness, Dead Poet’s Society), had the surreal feel of Forest Gump, while beckoning the horrendous introduction of reality TV (Big Brother, Survivor), which poisons our shallow unserious society to this day. The plot of the movie focuses on individuality versus conformity, consumerism, voyeurism, reality versus manipulation, false narratives, the truth about the American Dream, and the dangers of surveillance in a technologically advanced society."

The complete, highly recommended, article is here:

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

"The Commercial Real Estate Crisis Of 2024 Is Going To Be A Doozy"

Full screen recommended.

Epic Economist 2/14/24

"The Commercial Real Estate Crisis 

Of 2024 Is Going To Be A Doozy"

"The video delves into the looming crisis facing the commercial real estate market in 2024, drawing parallels with the 2008 financial downturn and highlighting the concerning indicators identified by experts. It covers a range of factors contributing to the crisis, including the shift to remote work, businesses leaving urban areas, and the upcoming wave of commercial mortgage renewals. Through the lens of New York Community Bancorp's struggles and its impact on the broader financial sector, the video explores the gravity of the situation and the challenges faced by financial institutions."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Middleville, Michigan, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"America: Funders And Financiers Of Genocide"

Gerald Celente, 2/14/24

"America: Funders And Financiers Of Genocide"

"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present facts and truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for what’s next in these increasingly turbulent times."

- https://trendsjournal.com/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 2/14/24

"Prof. Jeffrey Sachs: 

Does The CIA Destabilize the World?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Gregory Mannarino, "Warning! High Probability Of A False Flag Event Occurring Over The Coming Weekend"

Gregory Mannarino, 2/14/24

"Warning! High Probability Of A False Flag Event

 Occurring Over The Coming Weekend"

-  https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Israel Will Be Defeated As IDF Loses Control Of Its War In Middle East"

Cold, brutal, horrifying truth...

Scott Ritter, 2/14/24

"Israel Will Be Defeated As IDF Loses 

Control Of Its War In Middle East"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

And after their defeat there's a precedent...

"The Nuremberg Trials"

"After the war, Allied powers - United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union - came together to form the International Military Tribunal (IMT). From 1945 to 1946, Nazi Germany leaders stood trial for crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing crimes." (Add genocide to the list. - CP)

- https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

"What makes this inquest significant is that these prisoners represent sinister influences that will lurk in the world long after their bodies have returned to dust. We will show them to be living symbols of racial hatreds, of terrorism and violence, and of the arrogance and cruelty of power. They are symbols of fierce nationalisms and of militarism, of intrigue and war-making which have embroiled Europe generation after generation, crushing its manhood, destroying its homes, and impoverishing its life. Civilization can afford no compromise with the social forces which would gain renewed strength if we deal ambiguously or indecisively with the men in whom those forces now precariously survive."

- https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

Stipendium peccati mors est, Israel...

Bill Bonner, "Big Loss Ahead"

"Big Loss Ahead"

Inflation up, rate cut expectations down, Magnificent 7 in doubt...

by Bill Bonner

Cherbourg, France - "St. Valentine’s Day…and Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

The latest news: (Reuters) - "…hotter-than-expected consumer inflation readings smashed market speculations of an early start to interest rate cuts this year. A Labor Department report showed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.3% on a monthly basis in January, above the 0.2% increase expected by economists polled by Reuters. Annually, it increased 3.1% versus the 2.9% estimated growth. Excluding volatile food and energy components, the core figure rose 0.4% month-on-month in January, compared with the estimated 0.3% rise. Annually, it gained 3.9% versus the estimated 3.7% increase.

Counting on a rate cut this spring? Well, you can forget it. Inflation is not going down as fast as speculators hoped. The fix was not in, or at least not as firmly as most people thought.

The biggest danger most investors face is the risk of a Big Loss…a loss so big they’ll never recover from it. And the most likely source of a big loss now is the bubble in the Magnificent 7. Nvidia, for example, is thought to be worth more than the entire energy sector. The Magnificent 7 are worth more than the entire output (GDP) of China, the world’s second largest economy. When these facts change, many people are going to take the Big Loss.

The Debt Balloon: Meanwhile, the whole economy is headed for a Big Loss, too. Earlier this week, we looked at the “most predictable crisis ever,” the ballooning US debt. Today, we put it in perspective.

As we saw yesterday, a society inevitably faces challenges. It has to protect itself from other societies. It runs out of parking spaces. Its farmers are upset with low prices they get from their corn and wheat. One thing after another. The elites try to solve these problems…inevitably fixing them in a way that increases their own wealth and power…and sets up the next problem.

They station troops all over the world, for example…like staking lambs out in a clearing in order to get a good shot at the wolf. Then, they need to ‘protect their troops’ and show the world that they are not to be trifled with. Or, seeing the world confronted by a climate crisis, they send money to their friends with ‘green’ solutions…while restricting the ability of honest energy producers to provide the juice their customers want.

All the fixes impose costs. Some of the costs show up in the form of higher prices (and even higher taxes). Other costs are largely invisible – shrinkflation on an economy-wide scale. The quality and quantity of goods and services declines. People get less for their time and their money.

Lost Earnings, Lost Output: Thoughtful economists have wondered for years why the working class has had no real pay increase in half a century. How was it possible? The US economy had every advantage – capital, skilled labor, abundant engineers and entrepreneurs. Why did labor rates/hour stop rising after 1975?

The answer is in front of us – in the ‘flation’ we’ve been describing: higher costs (the Fed has actually tries to keep prices rising by 2% per year)…and a shrunken real economy, where more and more output is directed, by the feds, to activities that don’t really pay off. Output goes down…along with quality.

The most costly of all peace-time fixes in history took place in 2020-2021. In response to the challenge posed by a virus (which turned out to be insubstantial), the Trump administration and state governors closed down much of the economy…and then handed out trillions in newly-created money, for a total cost (lost earnings and output as well as direct federal outlays) of $14 trillion. Fortune: "The economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. will reach $14 trillion by the end of 2023, our team of economists, public policy researchers and other experts have estimated."

Big Loss Ahead: Almost all of that was imposed on the economy (unnecessarily). Some of it was passed along in the form of higher consumer prices, which consumers will pay for many years into the future. Much of the rest is now embedded in the US debt. In other words, the US debt represents the attempts by the elites to solve problems – real and imaginary – by shifting money and power to themselves in the present…while pushing the real costs onto future generations.

Known collectively as ‘the Swamp’ or the Deep State in America…’the Blob’ in England…Milei in Argentina calls them the ‘political caste’ – whatever you call them, they are the deciders who solve the problem, whether there is one or not. And now, in most countries in ‘The West,’ they have solved so many crises that the whole system staggers under the weight of their solutions. Big Loss coming soon."

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

Gregory Mannarino, "Markets: Liquidity Crisis Worsens, This Is What You Will See Moving Forward"

Gregory Mannarino, 2/14/24

"Markets: Liquidity Crisis Worsens, 

This Is What You Will See Moving Forward"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Dan, I Allegedly, "Stock Market Crash? What You Must Know!"

Dan, I Allegedly 2/14/24

"Stock Market Crash? What You Must Know!"

"Things are very precarious in the stock market. Today we bring back, Bob Kudla, the owner of Trade Genius. We have him clarify his predictions on where the stock market has had it in the next 60 days. It’s not pretty."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"World War III Prelude 2/14/24"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 2/14/24

"Alert! Major Attack Inside Iran; Russian Baltic War Starting; 

Israel On High Alert; Poland EU Nukes"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

OpenmindedThinker Show, 2/14/24

"Four Arab Leaders Unite Against Israel's New Battle In Gaza, 

Deploy Military; This Is War!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Hindustan Times, 2/14/24

" Russia's Big 'Nuclear Catastrophic' 

Warning Over U.S. Nukes"

"A Russian official warned that mistakes by U.S. leadership may lead to global catastrophe. The comments were made by Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Mikhail Popov. Popov said the only person in the U.S. who can issue nuclear weapons launch orders is Joe Biden. The Russian official, citing Counsel Hur, characterized Biden as "an elderly man with poor memory."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"A Toast to Those Who Fight"

"A Toast to Those Who Fight"

by Robert W. Malone, MD, MS

"I have been in this battle against evil in the US government and, for that matter the world, since spring of 2021. The truth is that I didn’t recognize the enemy early on. First I thought the problem was one of poorly designed drug development processes gone awry, and then a public health emergency response gone awry. Then I thought it was also about medical freedom and freedom from a weaponization of public mandates - including vaccines, masks, lock-downs, social distancing, mandates, vaccine passports, etc. But still I persisting in viewing the problem through the lens of a focal point, that of a singular set of “problems” to be fixed. Despite all the evidence to the contrary. Yet - deep in my heart, I knew that this fight is all about future generations and their legacy.

As I began to really wake up to what the world was facing, I began to feel an unease. This fight is bigger than I could have dreamed of early on, and it has been planned for a very long time.

I have now come to realize that “we” are in a fight against evil. That our educational system have became corrupted with socialist/Marxist ideologies, regulatory capture has turned our republic - our representative democracy- into a shell of itself, and the various deep/administrative states have come to dominate our government to the point where we live in a system of inverse totalitarianism. So many of our children have been brain washed by social media and the socialist teachings of an controlled educational system.

But we are lucky, in that some parents are managing to raise children who are aware of what is going on - and wish to change things for the better. They are the hopes of the future.

The problem being that global fascists - that is the worlds’ largest transnational corporations, are quite willing to take advantage of these foolish ideologies. Liberal democrats and socialists have become one in the same. Progressives see themselves as full on Marxists and are proud of it. The culture of victimhood has become the rallying cry of the new left or shall I more properly say, “far-left”.

Those of us who are patriots, who believe in exceptionalism, of Americanism and the benefits of meritocracy- which include capitalism- have been branded as being part of an evil empire. This is part of an ongoing psychological and propaganda war, and it is what is actually evil.

I have come to embrace the term “constitutional conservative” - as being the closest to how I have come to view the nirvana of America that once was and can be again. I believe that by returning to our constitutional roots, we can recapture the American spirit. American greatness. It is the traditional values, Judeo-Christian values, that keep us as both individuals and as a culture healthy and of pure mind.

As the globalists - the opportunists, who view the world through the lens of wealth for the elite few, are very willing to use any trick in the book to silence those of us who fight against the tyrants. That includes paying chaos agents, particularly on social media. Each day, these paid assets write horrific things about those of us fighting for our freedoms; it is clearly their mission is to divide and conquer. So, as you read hit pieces about the very organizations and people working to preserve our freedoms and way of life - know that these are planned attacks. These are paid chaos agents.

Our fight is not just medical freedom, it is about freedom. I have written extensively about all of this in the past. Including the censorship, propaganda and psywar being waged against all of us. I will continue to write about it. It is the fight of our lives, for our lives and for our children’s lives.

This week, I received about 30 abstracts from people who are willing to spend their own coin to travel to DC to speak at Senator Ron Johnson’s hearing. I have been organizing, collating and sorting these abstracts. I am overwhelmed with how much passion there is in those who fight and who question why. But here is my truth:

I salute those who are in the fight with me. Those organizations who are hanging tough. The people around me, who work hard to continue to change the system from within and from outside. So many people working to bring sanity to the world. So…

• I salute those who have donated money, resources, time and energy to fight for our freedoms.

• I salute those who have organized events, protests, conferences and the like.
• I salute those who have just shown up to protest and who volunteer.
• I salute those freedom fighters who are artists including musicians.
• I salute those who have written essays, news articles and scientific papers.
• And I salute those who have run for office, which is a thankless task.

• I salute those who have just the act of having an open mind and spreading the word amongst friends.

So many of us are doing what we can. It all matters. We are all heroes. I am thankful to be in the trenches with such great men and women. God bless everyone."

- https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/

o

Highly recommended:

"Land Of Spooks And Shills And Sheeple"

Gerald Celente, "Netanyahu's Total Victory Equals Total Genocide"

Strong language alert!

Gerald Celente, 2/13/24

"Netanyahu's Total Victory Equals Total Genocide"

"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present facts and truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for what’s next in these increasingly turbulent times."

- https://trendsjournal.com/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Jeremiah Babe, "Markets Rocked, Inflation Crisis Gets Worse"

Full screen recommended.

Jeremiah Babe, 2/13/24

"Markets Rocked, Inflation Crisis Gets Worse; 

Home Sales Crushed, Now Is The Worst Time To Buy A Home"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Adventures With Danno, "Massive Food Recall That Affects Millions!"

Adventures With Danno, PM 2/13/24

"Massive Food Recall That Affects Millions!"

"A massive food recall expands out to thousands of products and many different supermarkets, including Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods Market, Albertsons, Safeway, Trader Joe's and many more!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Epic Economist, "It's Over! The Middle Class Is Being Wiped Out - It's More Than What You Think"

Full screen recommended.

Epic Economist, 2/13/24

"It's Over! The Middle Class Is Being Wiped Out - 

It's More Than What You Think"

"The American middle class, once a symbol of the American dream, is facing unprecedented challenges today. In this eye-opening video, we delve into the harsh reality of how the middle class is being wiped out, struggling to make ends meet amidst soaring costs and stagnant wages. From skyrocketing housing prices to mounting debt and diminishing savings, the middle class is feeling the squeeze like never before."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: Ludovico Einaudi, "Oltremare"

Ludovico Einaudi, "Oltremare"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“It's the bubble versus the cloud. NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula, is being pushed out by the stellar wind of massive central star BD+602522. Next door, though, lives a giant molecular cloud, visible to the right. At this place in space, an irresistible force meets an immovable object in an interesting way.

The cloud is able to contain the expansion of the bubble gas, but gets blasted by the hot radiation from the bubble's central star. The radiation heats up dense regions of the molecular cloud causing it to glow. The Bubble Nebula, pictured above in scientifically mapped colors to bring up contrast, is about 10 light-years across and part of a much larger complex of stars and shells. The Bubble Nebula can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation of the Queen of Aethiopia (Cassiopeia).”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111011.html

"The Reality Of Life..."

"Despite my firm convictions, I have been always a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth."

- Malcolm X

Chet Raymo, “The Sea Grows Old In It”

“The Sea Grows Old In It”

by Chet Raymo

“The poet, like the electric [lightning] rod, must reach from a point nearer to the sky than all surrounding objects down to the earth, and down to the dark wet soil, or neither is of use. The poet must not only converse with pure thought, but he must demonstrate it almost to the senses. His words must be pictures, his verses must be spheres and cubes, to be seen, and smelled and handled.” 

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Ah, Mr. Emerson. This seems about as good a description of poetry as one is likely to find. I love the image. Not a hand reaching up to grasp the hand of Zeus, the hurler of bolts, but merely a pointed rod that reaches higher than any surrounding objects. A pen-point, scratching the firmament. Not a conductor reaching down to the earth, but deeper, into the wet inkpot of the soul.

Not lofty thoughts, airy philosophies, gnostic arcana. Rather, ideas that come wrapped in the stuff of the senses. Ideas that must be unwrapped the way you’d peel an orange, or pry open an oyster, or stir up from the bottom of a bowl of soup. The electric fire of the heavens captured and stored in the Leyden jar of physical self.

Take, for example, Marianne Moore’s “The Fish”, a poem that has been endlessly analyzed without ever giving up its secrets. Anyone who stands on that rocky shore with the poet, looking into the wave-washed chasm - the sea as fluid as breath, as hard as a chisel- takes away a lesson as profound as any one might learn in school, perhaps without being able to articulate exactly what the lesson is. The experience is simply there, to be seen, smelled, handled, in the weave and wave of animal bodies, in the intricate rhyme and syllabication of the poem. Truth- crow-blue, ink-bespattered, hatcheted, defiant.

I’d go further. I’d say that Emerson’s description of poetry can be equally applied to science, or to any human attempt to attract the spark of Zeus. One must lift one’s rod beyond the scratch and tumble of the everyday, while keeping its foot buried in the dark wet soil of lived experience.”

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

•

“The Fish”

“Wade through black jade.

Of the crow-blue mussel-shells, one keeps

adjusting the ash-heaps;

opening and shutting itself like an injured fan.

The barnacles which encrust the side of the wave,

cannot hide there for the submerged shafts of the sun,

split like spun glass,

move themselves with spotlight swiftness into the crevices -

in and out, illuminating

The turquoise sea of bodies.

The water drives a wedge of iron through the iron edge of the cliff;

whereupon the stars, pink rice-grains, ink-

bespattered jelly fish, crabs like green lilies,

and submarine toadstools, slide each on the other.

All external marks of abuse are present on this defiant edifice -

all the physical features of accident -

lack of cornice, dynamite grooves, burns, and hatchet strokes,

these things stand out on it;

the chasm-side is dead.

Repeated evidence has proved that it can live

on what can not revive its youth.

The sea grows old in it."

- Marianne Moore

"Promise Me..."

 

"What You Know..."

"Reputation is what other people know about you.

Honor is what you know about yourself."

- Lois McMaster

The Daily "Near You?"

Richmond Hill, Georgia, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"The Poet: Czeslaw Milosz, “A Song On The End Of The World”

“A Song On The End Of The World”

“On the day the world ends

A bee circles a clover,

A fisherman mends a glimmering net.

Happy porpoises jump in the sea,

By the rainspout young sparrows are playing

And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.

On the day the world ends

Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas,

A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn,

Vegetable peddlers shout in the street

And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island,

The voice of a violin lasts in the air

And leads into a starry night.

And those who expected lightning and thunder

Are disappointed.

And those who expected signs and archangels’ trumps

Do not believe it is happening now.

As long as the sun and the moon are above,

As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,

As long as rosy infants are born

No one believes it is happening now.

Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet

Yet is not a prophet, for he’s much too busy,

Repeats while he binds his tomatoes:

There will be no other end of the world,

There will be no other end of the world.”

~ Czeslaw Milosz

"How Stress Affects Your Cholesterol Level: Everything You Wanted to Know"

"How Stress Affects Your Cholesterol Level:

Everything You Wanted to Know"

by Karen Reed

"You’ve heard all about how high cholesterol levels are causing ill health. More importantly, you’ve heard about how bad cholesterol is causing ill health. It affects your arteries and blood flow, putting your heart under more pressure to perform properly. Those with high cholesterol levels are more at risk of stroke, heart attacks, and heart disease.

Cholesterol has long been linked to the food we eat. There are certain foods that we’re recommended to stay away from and others that we should get more off to promote good cholesterol levels and help protect the arteries. Did you know that it’s not just food that affects the cholesterol levels? Stress has been linked to high cholesterol. In fact, some studies now show that stress is worse than the food we eat for cholesterol levels and ill health.

The problem is that stress is a silent killer. We don’t realize that our cortisol levels are up and causing these problems until it’s too late in some cases. It’s important to reduce our stress levels to keep our cholesterol levels down. Here’s a look at just how stress causes high cholesterol and what you can do about it.

What Exactly Is Cholesterol? Before you start looking at stress and how it affects to high cholesterol levels, you need to know more about it. What exactly is it and what does it do?

There are two types of cholesterol: good and bad. The bad cholesterol is known as LDL cholesterol, and you shouldn’t have any more than 100mg/dL of this type in your body. Good cholesterol is HDL, and you should have at least 60mg/dL. A good level of total cholesterol, according to physicians, is 200mg/dL and this can be made up of both good and bad. Considering you shouldn’t have more that 100mg/dL of the bad stuff, you want at least 100mg/dL of the good stuff. The more good cholesterol you have, the better it is for you. Good cholesterol can keep the bad stuff at bay and under control.

What exactly is cholesterol? It’s a fatty substance that is only found in animal products. It is naturally produced by your body, but can also be added to food. The body will make more cholesterol due to trans and saturated fats being added through food. Both types of cholesterol will enter the arteries and build up. The good stuff builds up as a lining to the arteries, protecting them from damage. The lining is soft and makes it easier for the blood to flow through the veins.

On the other hand, bad cholesterol blocks the arteries. It creates a friction layer that stops the blood flowing freely. The heart and brain don’t get the blood that they both need and clogs can appear in the arteries. You’re at a higher risk of suffering various health problems, including stroke and heart disease, because of your high bad cholesterol levels.

There are various types of people more at risk for having high cholesterol levels. There are certainly genetic factors involved, but there are also lifestyle factors. One of those is stress levels, especially in those who are overweight, smoke or have other health problems.

Stress and the Unhealthy Lifestyle: One of the reasons found for the stress and high cholesterol link is bad lifestyle habits. Those who are stressed are more likely to follow less healthy habits in other areas of their life. They’re less likely to exercise and more likely to eat bad food. After all, saturated and trans fat foods tend to be the comfort foods – those that people crave to try to boost their endorphin and serotonin levels.

People who are stressed will look for ways to counter their cortisol levels, and that is usually through unhealthy methods. People are more likely to drink or smoke, which puts other strains on their body. The body isn’t able to produce the good cholesterol and is encouraged to create bad cholesterol. This reason is highly common in men. It is men who tend to deal with stress the worst, possibly due to misconceptions that relaxation techniques are for women. They also tend to have higher stressful jobs than women, since many men are in higher positions of power and authority. Men tend to be in more leadership roles, which means more responsibility and decision making. It may not seem fair, but that’s just a common view.

How the Body Reacts to Stress Causes High Cholesterol Levels: Another study found that people who suffer from high levels of stress have higher bad cholesterol due to the high levels of triglycerides. The triglycerides are the components that encourage the boost of bad cholesterol levels, causing major health problems. It doesn’t matter what your diet is like, although the unhealthier diet will put you more at risk.

The study researchers considered the reasons for the higher triglycerides. While the exact reason isn’t known, the theory is that it is due to the stress hormone cortisol. This is common is people who suffer long term stress, and leads to the release of adrenaline in the body.

Adrenaline is the body’s “flight or fight” response and helps to deal with the stress levels. It pushes people into making decisions and keeps them alert and active when they desperately need to be. Many people in trauma incidents report that they don’t know how they kept going. The adrenaline pushed them forward until they were given a chance to relax. That was when their bodies shut down, and they had the chance to allow the trauma to affect them. Adrenaline can certainly have benefits, but it causes the increase in triglycerides. This then triggers the high levels of bad cholesterol, which can later affect the body in other ways.

Stress Can Cause “Stickiness” in the Arteries: Another study has found that the arteries can be “sticky” due to high-stress levels. This may or may not be linked to high cholesterol levels. It could be a problem on its own that makes it look like someone has high cholesterol levels.

Stress makes the muscles spasm. This affects the arteries, which causes problems with the blood flow. The platelets in people with high-stress levels are commonly “sticky.” They cling to the artery walls and create bumps and friction for the blood flow. The blood is more likely to clog, and other health problems arise. The constriction of the arteries certainly doesn’t help things. When the arteries constrict, the area for the blood flow gets smaller, and it causes the blood flow to slow down. Mixed with the stickiness or high cholesterol problems, the blood gets stuck and clogs. It’s harder for the heart and brain to get the blood that they both need.

Stress causes many other health problems and affects the body in more ways that we currently know or understand. It is possible that stress isn’t just a factor for high cholesterol but makes high cholesterol worse for the health.

Reducing Stress to Prolong Life: Many scientists now recommend not focusing on reducing cholesterol as much as reducing stress. Cholesterol gained a bad rep for a long time, including good cholesterol. It’s taken time for the medical world to realize that not all cholesterol is bad and there are other factors that cause many of the same risks. One of those is the high-stress levels. It’s important to keep them to a minimum so the whole body can work effectively and we can prolong out lives.

The tricky thing is finding a way to reduce stress levels. Understandably reducing stress isn’t always easy and people can end up even more stressed because they’re trying to reduce it. Think about how you feel when you’re struggling to sleep because of stress. You get more worked up, which releases more cortisol and more adrenaline into the body. It’s harder to get to sleep, and this cycle continues until you find a way actually to reduce the stress.

Meditation and exercise are often considered the best ways to reduce stress. Yoga is a popular option since it combines the two together in many ways. You get to become one with yourself, focus on your breathing, and tone your body at the same time.

Both meditation and exercise help to release more happy hormones into your body. The right chemicals help to reduce the levels of cortisol in your body. You’ll have less adrenaline keeping you awake and fewer triglycerides causing your bad cholesterol production to increase.

It will be tempting to reach for a glass or two (or even a bottle) of wine to deal with stress. Smoking is tempting, along with binge watching a TV series while you struggle to sleep. You want to look for healthier ways to handle your stress. The negative ways will just cause more problems for your health.

Long Term vs. Short Term Stress and Cholesterol: If you have the odd day where you feel like you’re at the end of your tether, don’t worry about it too much. It’s not the short-term stress that causes the increase in cholesterol levels. The studies show that those who suffer long term stress are the ones who are most likely to see all the negative side effects.

Sure, stress isn’t good for you, but it is also a normal part of living. There are times that adrenaline and cortisol are needed. They can keep you going when you run out of energy or when going through trauma.

Those who suffer long term stress will have prolonged cortisol and adrenaline levels. Those hormones will be much higher than they need to be and in the body for much longer. They cause a range of health problems when around for long periods of time, including high blood pressure, insomnia, and even Type II diabetes. It shouldn’t be surprising that high cholesterol levels are also a problem.

Healthy eating is an important lifestyle choice. Not only will it help to reduce the foods that cause cholesterol production but it can also reduce the cortisol release. Healthy foods protect the body, supply energy, and help to boost the production of happy hormones, which help to reduce the stress hormones.

When you suffer from long term stress, you will want to look for ways to eliminate the reason for stress as much as possible. I know this isn’t always going to be easy. You may enjoy your career, but there will be times that you struggle to cope with all the demand your job throws at you. It’s not like you can just pick and choose. However, if there is a way that you can reduce the stuff you do that causes stress, such as delegation, then you want to do it where you can.

Long term high-stress levels may not cause immediate problems. There are links to issues years down the line because of the stress levels that you have felt at some point in your life. This issue is linked more with long term stress, but some bouts of short-term stress can also be a problem.

Stress Isn’t the Only Culprit: It is important to note that stress isn’t the only reason we suffer from high cholesterol levels. While it’s a silent killer and common, there are many other reasons your cholesterol levels could be high. Diet is certainly a factor, but so are genetics and other lifestyle choices that you make. The place you work or the chemicals that you inhale from where you live can also cause cholesterol levels to increase.

This is something that scientists are still trying to understand. We have come a long way since believing that all cholesterol was bad. Now we know that some cholesterol is good, and we want it to our bodies, but we need to make sure that it is good. While stress isn’t the only culprit, it is one of the main reasons for high cholesterol levels and other health problems. It’s best to keep the stress levels at bay as much as possible.”

- https://www.positivehealthwellness.com/

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"The Science of Stress and How Our Emotions

 Affect Our Susceptibility to Burnout and Disease"

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Full screen recommended.

Soothing Relaxation,

 "Beautiful Relaxing Music for Stress Relief"

"Beautiful relaxing music for stress relief, composed by Peder B. Helland. This instrumental music ("The Hidden Valley") works well as sleep music, ambient study music, meditation music or relaxation music."

"That's Where It All Begins..."

"That's where it all begins. That's where we all get screwed big time as we grow up. They tell us to think, but they don't really mean it. They only want us to think within the boundaries they define. The moment you start thinking for yourself - really thinking - so many things stop making any sense. And if you keep thinking, the whole world just falls apart. Nothing makes sense anymore. All rules, traditions, expectations - they all start looking so fake, so made up. You want to just get rid of all this stuff and make things right. But the moment you say it, they tell you to shut up and be respectful. And eventually you understand that nobody wants you to really think for yourself."

- Ray N. Kuili, "Awakening"

"Chaos Reigns In The Streets Of America As An Epic Crime Wave Terrorizes The Nation"

"Chaos Reigns In The Streets Of America

 As An Epic Crime Wave Terrorizes The Nation"

by Michael Snyder

"If you were hoping that the United States would become a lawless society, you have now gotten your wish. Some of the numbers that I am about to share with you are just mind blowing. For example, I had no idea that police in New York City were injured by criminals thousands of times last year. All over the nation, law enforcement is losing control and violent criminals are getting the upper hand. We have never seen anything quite like this before, and I am entirely convinced that this crime wave is only going to get worse as economic conditions deteriorate. Even in our capital city, crime is completely and utterly out of control. If you can believe it, the number of carjackings in Washington D.C. was up 97.9 percent last year…

"Residents of the District of Columbia paid the sixth-highest amount on car insurance when compared to the 50 states in 2023 with an average annual full-coverage rate of $2,756 last year – which amounts to nearly $230 a month, according to a report by Insurify. The report found that Washington, D.C., residents’ car insurance premiums were 37% higher than the national average, which was $2,019 for a full-coverage policy, as national auto insurance rates increased by 24% last year.

Police data show carjackings in the nation’s capital spiked by 97.9% in 2023 with 958 reported carjackings last year compared to 484 in 2022, with motor vehicle theft up 82% from 3,756 in 2022 to 6,829 in 2023. Vehicle theft in the greater Washington-Maryland-Virginia area also rose by 68% last year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau."

Vehicle theft is even worse in some areas along the west coast. In Oakland, approximately one out of every 30 residents had a vehicle stolen from them in 2023…"Robberies grew 38% last year in Oakland, according to police data. Burglaries increased 23%. Motor vehicle theft jumped 44%. Roughly one of every 30 Oakland residents had a car stolen last year, according to a San Francisco Chronicle analysis."

On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he was taking action, deploying 120 California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland and the surrounding area to conduct a law enforcement surge operation. The aim: to crack down on crime, including vehicle theft, retail theft and violent crime. Gavin Newsom wants to run for president at some point, and so he doesn’t want to look soft on crime. Unfortunately for him, it is way too late for that.

Other west coast cities are also experiencing unprecedented crime waves. In Seattle, one restaurant has actually been broken into five times in the last six months…"The sound of crashing glass has become too familiar at Sandia, a Mexican restaurant in Seattle’s Laurelhurst neighborhood on NE 45th Street. “As of today, now we have been broken into five times,” said Nathan Yeager, the owner. In the surveillance video provided to KING 5, you can see criminals break the front door with a crowbar, climb over the counter, steal money from the till, and then sneak around while looking in every door for something to take."

There is no way that I would open a small business in Seattle. Or Portland. Or Oakland. Or San Francisco. Or Los Angeles. Of course I could say the exact same thing about many cities on the east coast as well. In New York City, police officers “are getting beaten at a record-setting pace”…"City cops are getting beaten at a record-setting pace - a disturbing and dangerous trend fueled by radical protests, an influx of criminal migrants, bail reform, anti-cop rhetoric and soft-on-crime prosecutors, experts told The Post. The number of cops hurt by suspects surged 20% in 2022, when 4,724 uniformed officers suffered injuries in attacks, compared to 3,933 in 2021. But the law enforcement nightmare grew worse last year, when 4,077 cops were hurt by suspects in just the first nine months of 2023 - on pace for a record-breaking 5,436 injuries, the latest NYPD stats show."

At this stage in our societal collapse, the criminals are not even afraid to attack the cops. It is so difficult to be a police officer these days. They literally put their lives on the line for us every single day. Of course the Biden administration has made the national crime wave significantly worse by allowing millions upon millions of migrants to come pouring over the southern border. In fact, we just learned that police in the Big Apple have arrested a “very, very violent” migrant that shot a tourist in the leg “after opening fire in Times Square”…"A teenager gunman burst into tears as he was hauled away in handcuffs for allegedly shooting a tourist in the leg after opening fire in Times Square. Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, 15, a migrant from Venezuela, was arrested by US Marshals in Yonkers after a nearly day-long manhunt. NYPD Deputy Chief of Detectives Jason Savino called him a ‘very, very violent’ suspect who recklessly fired a ‘very large’ .45 caliber handgun in a crowded area of New York City."

Needless to say, our wide open borders have also made it easy for cartels to transport drugs all over the country. Earlier today, I came across an article that explained that drugs that are produced in Mexico have been flooding the state of Montana…"Illegal drugs have long flowed from Mexico to the more remote parts of the U.S. But with the rise of fentanyl, cartel associates have pushed more aggressively into Montana, where pills can be sold for 20 times the price they get in urban centers closer to the border, state and federal law enforcement officials said.

Cartels have been particularly focusing on Indian reservations throughout Montana, and one state lawmaker says that it seems like “fentanyl is raining on our reservation”…"On some reservations, cartel associates have formed relationships with Indigenous women as a way of establishing themselves within communities to sell drugs, law enforcement officials and tribal leaders said. More frequently, traffickers lure Native Americans into becoming dealers by giving away an initial supply of drugs and turning them into addicts indebted to the cartels. “Right now it’s as if fentanyl is raining on our reservation,” said Marvin Weatherwax, Jr., who serves on the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council and represents the 15th district in the Montana House of Representatives."

There is nowhere that you can go in the U.S. to completely escape all of this. From coast to coast, our society is literally coming apart at the seams. In Alabama, thieves recently stole an entire 200-foot tall radio tower…"A landscaper in Jasper, Alabama, was doing a property cleanup when the crew discovered that a 200-foot radio tower was missing. Brett Elmore, general manager of WJLX, said that every piece of equipment at the radio tower’s site had been stolen and the wires cut out.

“This is going to get out eventually, so I might as well make it public before it does,” Elmore wrote on Facebook. “I have heard of thieves in this area stealing anything, but this one takes the cake. This morning, my bush hog crew went down to a tower site we have … when [they] arrived, he called and notified me that not only was my building vandalized, but my TWO HUNDRED FOOT TOWER WAS GONE!” the radio manager wrote."

If things are this bad now, what will our society look like once millions upon millions of people in this country become extremely desperate? You might want to think about that, because we really are right on the brink of an extremely apocalyptic chapter in human history. But most people don’t want to think about such things. Most people just want to stick their heads in the sand and pretend that everything is okay.

It can be so easy to ignore what is really going on in the world and tune in to the alternate reality that television creates for us. Did you know that a 30 second commercial during this year’s Super Bowl cost 7 million dollars? After sitting in front of the television for a few hours, you may be tempted to buy into the fictional reality that they are trying to sell you. But the truth is that life in America is not good right now, and the crime in our streets is only going to intensify during the months and years ahead."

- https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/