Down With The Ship

20 Tuesday Oct 2020

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Doug Casey’s outfit asks about hope for the US. The groupings are interesting.

So, what are Americans to do?

Well, my belief is that – as is always the case when a country declines – the populace will divide into several groups.

The first group, which will be by far the largest, will increasingly grumble, but ultimately do little or nothing to save themselves. They will go down with the ship.

Regardless of all else, it is certain that many will do nothing even as everything falls completely apart.

A Matter of Trust

20 Tuesday Oct 2020

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Since 1965, the US has been sold a bill of goods about the “benefits” of diversity. A new study sheds light:

Abstract

Does ethnic diversity erode social trust? Continued immigration and corresponding growing ethnic diversity have prompted this essential question for modern societies, but few clear answers have been reached in the sprawling literature. Taking this as point of departure, this article reviews the existing literature on the relationship between ethnic diversity and social trust through a narrative review and a meta-analysis of 1,001 estimates from 87 studies. The review clarifies the core concepts, highlights pertinent debates, and tests core claims from the literature on the relationship between ethnic diversity and social trust. Several results stand out from the meta-analysis. We find a statistically significant negative relationship between ethnic diversity and social trust across all studies. The relationship is stronger for trust in neighbors, and when studied in more local contexts. Covariate conditioning generally changes the relationship only slightly. The review concludes by discussing avenues for future research.

Rest assured that, despite the findings, the lies will continue.

A Podcast is Coming

19 Monday Oct 2020

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From Freedom Prepper, about current and near-future events. Sooner or later, I expect. For my part, the recording took numerous tries and days, so I’m rather forgiving of the editing and posting processes. You’ll see it when you hear it and vice versa.

Also, there’s a new column a few days away. Next week, we should have some spooky TPC fiction. Stay tuned.

The Cost of Imperial Overreach

19 Monday Oct 2020

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Dr, Roberts observes a few things: the dangers of appointing industry stooges, and the inanity of US military policy and spending.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is a former Raytheon lobbyist and another example of President Trump’s penchant for frustrating his own policies by appointing to power people who oppose his policies. Why does Trump think he can expect a representative of the military/security complex to help him wind down Washington’s hegemonic policeman of the world routine?

Esper is out making speeches that the military/security complex needs 5% real increase annually in order to counter Russia and China—https://news.antiwar.com/2020/10/16/esper-calls-for-more-military-spending-to-face-china-and-russia/ . It is Washington that is aggressive toward Russia and China, not the other way around. The military/security complex desperately needs foreign enemies in order to maximize its budget and power. Russiagate’s purpose was to prevent Trump from removing a valuable “enemy” by normalizing relations with Russia.

The US defense budget could be cut in half and still be larger than the combined defense budgets of Russia and China. China spends about half as much of its economy on defense as the US. If Russia and China intended aggression against the US, wouldn’t you expect to see much higher spending on military?

If anything, the military budget – while there’s still time – needs to be cut, radically. That and a draining of the old swamp would go a long way. Second term projects?

Next Year! Via Zoom…

18 Sunday Oct 2020

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I called this one pretty well.

Yeah, so last night, UGA gave it up to Alabama for the sixth time in a row, most likely ending the Dawgs’ hopes for a national title. They only dropped one place and statistically still have a shot, but let’s be realistic. Anyway, a little over a year ago, I offered some observations about how to turn a perenially good team into the best. Needless to say, those points were roundly ignored.

Enter the CoronaHax, and I made a prediction or three about this season – back in May.

At long last, this will be the season that the annual meeting of the UGA Next Year Club will be held via Zoom. I figure that, if the season even starts, it will end 4 and 2, with the telethon to happen on or around Tuesday, October the 13th. It’ll be like the union of also-rans who proudly disclaim 2/3rds of their national championships with a technology built more for porn hacking than for conferencing. I’m excited.

I got the date within a week and without knowing about the ten-game shakeup and so forth. I’m still excited though I can’t attend the meeting. Sorry. Without me, proceed with all the “Gosh darn it! We jus needs to keep a doin what we doin a little harder, thas awe!” Assuming it lasts, it will be a very good (not great) season. Just like next year.

The Beauty of Being Locked Out

18 Sunday Oct 2020

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Never forget your keys! But, if it’s “their” lock, then you can usually forget about it – and be happy in doing so. Vox Day, whose blog just past 200 Million visitors(!), made some recent observations about the limitations placed by the world on those who are not of the world.

YOU HAVE NO CHANCE

If you are a good person, if you are a moral person, if you are a Christian, you are not going to be allowed to succeed in the system past a certain level. It’s just not going to happen. But it’s very, very freeing to know this. You’re not going to get the scholarship. You’re probably not going to get the acceptance letter. You’re not going to get the interview. So, this means you have the imperative to go out and make things happen on your own.

Because here’s the magical thing about it. They can’t create. They cannot create things that are good, beautiful and true. They’re predators and parasites. And so, there’s always going to be a certain amount of room that is granted to people that just do their own thing, or for people who just work outside the system, because that’s where the positive change – the necessary positive change – is going to happen.

A commenter related the excellent allegory of Galadriel and the Ring. Here’s to all of us passing the test. This kind of “failure” is the only real success in the world.

Big Guy and the Videos

17 Saturday Oct 2020

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Not a rock band.

The leaks are coming and, so far, are not all that revelatory – what I’ve seen. However, if there are certain videos that 1) exist and 2) become public, then I’m with Ann Barnhardt: don’t watch them. Even if they’re heavily redacted. Some things are best unseen.

And, again, the FBI has been on this since at least December 9, 2019. That means: it’s not that urgent, or; we need a new FBI.

The next two weeks will be interesting if nothing else.

Megatons of Flesh Usury

17 Saturday Oct 2020

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This story about average Amerikan debt loads makes a pound sound like a bargain.

While the average American has $90,460 in debt, this includes all types of consumer debt products, from credit cards to personal loans, mortgages and student debt.

Knowing these trends is important. Along with staying informed about financial planning, reading advice about saving for retirement and learning credit card basics — knowing where you stand can help you decide where to go next on your financial journey.

Here’s the average debt balances by age group:

Gen Z (ages 18 to 23): $9,593
Millennials (ages 24 to 39): $78,396
Gen X (ages 40 to 55): $135,841
Baby boomers (ages 56 to 74): $96,984
Silent generation (ages 75 and above): $40,925

Math time! Let’s deduct 60 million souls from the 330 million folks in the US – to dismiss any Greatest, under-18 Zs, and Post-Zs among us.

$90.460 x 270,000,000 = $24,424,200,000,000 outstanding usury. That’s in the “personal debt” ballpark figure ($20 Tr+) estimated by Ye Old Debt Clock. Either way, think of that as the value being sucked out of ownership and productivity, with all of the vampirism based on fraud and lies. Or, terminating these sinful fake loans would result in an immediate boost to the real economy greater than a standard year’s GDP.

J.U.B.I.L.E.E.

 

NYU, Done With You

17 Saturday Oct 2020

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Seriously, American colleges and universities are done.

At NYU, a journalism propaganda class and professor are subject to propaganda for discussing propaganda.

On Sept. 20, after a class discussion of the case for universal masking as defense against transmission of SARS-COV-2 (in which discussion she did not participate), a student took to Twitter to express her fury that Prof. Miller had brought up the randomized, controlled tests—all of those so far conducted on the subject—finding that masks and ventilators are ineffective at preventing such transmission, because the COVID-19 virions are too small for such expedients to block them. Prof. Miller urged the students to read those studies, as well as others that purport to show the opposite, with due attention to the scientific reviews thereof, and possible financial links between the researchers conducting them, and such interests as Big Pharma and the Gates Foundation. Prof. Miller followed up by providing the links to the former studies (not easily found on Google, though they have all appeared in reputable medical journals), and other materials, including a video of a debate on the subject.

Of course, the school sided with the Twit-head. The truth has no place in Amerikan higher academia, certainly not in the journalism department. Associate with this idiocy at your own risk.

SOLD OUT – A New “Novel”

16 Friday Oct 2020

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A gift for you, dear readers! I had honestly forgotten that this summer, I wrote another novel. Yeah, how does one forget something like that? Dunno. It’s some fifteen times longer than El Dinosaurio, but it’s a book in that diminutive category.

Because you’re special, some sample text:

They both suspected, though they did not know, it would be the last time they ever saw him. Roberto was a man of few words. Naturally, he bolted out the front door without saying anything. A second later, his car passed by, zooming down Main Street towards an uncertain future.

   Almost a year earlier, they had moved into the new building in the center of town. A town of pews and not of news, they thought it now. Sometimes time ticks by; sometimes it just ticks.

   ‘We’ve got to sell the paper!’ he said, frantically throwing business cards in the air like confetti.

   ‘Today’s copy, or the whole thing?’ she asked.

   ‘Both!’ he said.

   Morina was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. He figured he’d like to take her out for the evening. He did.

Here, because you’re really special, for free, is the whole thing: SOLD OUT (PL, 2020).