Savers,
The Honest Sorcerer, The Human Souffle, Main ingredients: petroleum, minerals and cereals
As the human system fails to increase its energy uptake, it will no longer have the power to replace lost farmland with more mechanization, nor to compensate the loss of easy-to-mine mineral resources with ever poorer ores requiring ever more shoveling and hauling to get. Something will got to give. Food prices already began to increase rapidly to reflect this new reality, leaving less and less money for consumer goods, cars and houses, and resulting in a ‘cost of living crisis’ unwilling to recede. A collapse in spending, on the other hand, has already begin to turn into a collapse in production — a trend, which might leave us with a glut of oil and resources as manufacturing plants close and as demand evaporates faster than oil extraction declines. Oh, the beauty of self-adaptive systems!
It follows from all of the above that the consumption crisis will continue to accelerate worldwide as the median age of the population keeps rising, fewer and fewer children are born, and food inflation eats more and more into the average wage earner’s budget. Supply and demand for both food and consumer goods will thus begin to recede as we pass the all time high of world population, together with a peak in petroleum and mineral extraction. In fact we can already observe the first signs of this trend with some pretty serious economic trouble brewing in China — the world’s biggest manufacturer of goods — and stagflation in the West, the largest consumer on the globe. A financial system predicated on growth, on the other hand, will not react so subtly to such developments, threatening to pull the entire economy. How our delusional, misguided, panicky political-economic elites will react to that, however, is an entirely different matter. https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/the-human-souffle
Financial symbiosis, not parasitosis: Ellen Brown: Beating Wall Street at Its Own Game — The Bank of North Dakota Model The Bank of North Dakota (BND) operates on the same principles as any capitalist bank, except that its profits and benefits serve the North Dakota public rather than private investors and executives. The BND provides a unique, innovative model, in which public ownership is leveraged to enhance the workings of the private sector. It invests in and supports private enterprise — local businesses, agriculture, and economic development – the core activities of a capitalist system where private property and enterprise are central. Across the country, small businesses are now failing at increasingly high rates, but that’s not true in North Dakota, which was rated by Forbes Magazine the best state in which to start a business in 2024.
The BND was founded in 1919, when North Dakota farmers rose up against the powerful out-of-state banking-railroad-granary cartel that was unfairly foreclosing on their farms. They formed the Non-Partisan League, won an election, and founded the state’s own bank and granary, both of which are still active today...
..Like private banks, a publicly-owned bank has the ability to create money in the form of bank credit on its books, and it has access to very low interest rates. But the business model of private banks requires them to take advantage of these low rates to extract as much debt service as the market will bear for the benefit of the bank’s private investors. A public bank can pass low rates on to local residents and businesses. It can also recapture the interest on local government projects, making them substantially cheaper than when funded through the bond market.
The BND’s profits belong to the citizens and are generated without taxation, lowering tax rates.....The BND also serves North Dakota’s local banks. It acts as a mini-Fed for the state, providing correspondent banking services to virtually every financial institution in North Dakota... The North Dakota Bankers’ Association endorses the BND as a partner rather than a competitor of the state’s private banks...
..Although more than 50 public bank bills and resolutions have been filed since 2010, the only new bank to emerge is the Territorial Bank of American Samoa, founded in 2016. Lobbying in opposition by big private banks has deterred politicians, who are reluctant to rock the boat when times are good and no immediate need is perceived. However, times are not so good today for the majority of the population, and they could soon get worse even for the wealthy.
To muster the political will to take action, politicians need a business plan in which the benefits of establishing their own banks clearly outweigh the costs; and public bank advocates today face hurdles that the BND avoided by being grandfathered in before the relevant agency rules were instigated... ..The deposits of the BND, which was chartered as “the State of North Dakota doing business as the Bank of North Dakota,” are backed by the state itself.
Another hurdle is that most state constitutions prohibit the state from “lending its credit” to private parties. This has been construed as prohibiting the state from owning a bank, but legal memoranda have refuted that interpretation...
..Even many politicians are unaware of how banking actually works. Chartered depository banks have the power to create money as deposits when they make loans, expanding the local money supply and increasing the capacity for local productivity. Over 95% of our money supply today is created by banks in this way. This vast power to create money as credit is one that properly belongs in the public domain... By making banking a public utility, with expandable credit issued by banks that are owned by the people, the financial system can be made to serve the people and local enterprise without draining their resources away. https://scheerpost.com/2025/01/13/ellen-brown-beating-wall-street-at-its-own-game-the-bank-of-north-dakota-model/
Gilbert Doctorow on US sanctions against Russian shadow-fleet oil sales.
Transcript of Firstpost interview: sanctions’ impact on Indian oil procurement from Russia I appreciate the need to investigate alternative supplies. That is prudent and it may prove to be essential. However, there’s another side to the story. The sanctions that Mr. Biden has just imposed are difficult to remove. They are embedded in American legislation, and it would require an act of Congress for Mr. Trump to overturn these sanctions. However, it is also possible, and I’d say likely, that Mr. Trump will simply not enforce these sanctions. There is no ability of Congress or of any American entity to compel him to enforce these... If he simply doesn’t enforce them, then he has no problems, and he keeps on moving with the rest of his political agenda. The actions taken by Biden in the closing days of his administration are vicious, but they also are founded on very poor intelligence. https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/01/14/transcript-of-firstpost-interview-sanctions-impact-on-indian-oil-procurement-from-russia/
India Expects No Disruption to Russian Oil Supply Until March
Russia, Iran To Sign 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' Treaty This Week "On January 17, Vladimir Putin will hold talks with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, who will come to Russia on an official visit," the Kremlin announced Monday.
The much anticipated treaty has long been in the works, since at least last summer, news of which caused President Zelensky to say there's an axis of rogue states conspiring to defeat Ukraine. This has included North Korea as well, which has lost troops helping Moscow defend Kursk region.
As for the treaty to be signed by the week's close, it was previewed as heavily focused on defense and security cooperation. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-iran-sign-comprehensive-strategic-partnership-treaty-week
"Up to Putin"? What's he mean? Trump Affirms He'll Meet Putin 'Very Quickly' After Inauguration
GOP Paves Path to Purchasing Greenland with New BillTennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles unveiled legislation allowing President-elect Donald Trump to move toward purchasing Greenland once he returns to office.
After weeks of the incoming commander-in-chief making gestures toward annexing the island territory, the “Make Greenland Great Again Act” will authorize Trump to “seek to enter into negotiations with the Kingdom of Denmark to secure the acquisition of Greenland by the United States.” https://www.westernjournal.com/gop-paves-path-purchasing-greenland-new-bill/
Newsom’s wildfire response focuses on online “misinformation” while Californians suffer California Governor Gavin Newsom has shifted his focus to an unexpected target: online "misinformation." During a high-profile briefing with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Newsom lamented the spread of what he called “hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation,” claiming it is dividing the nation and hindering disaster response efforts. Newsom’s rhetoric about combating misinformation raises serious questions about his priorities. https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-01-13-newsoms-wildfire-response-focuses-on-online-misinformation.html
A Message To All Americans From Storm-Ravaged Western North Carolina
"The federal government will cover 100% of the cost of measures to protect lives and property in Southern California for six months." Referring to the X post, Ward said, "I hope that happens."
Ward then segues to the topic of forgotten and devastated Western North Carolina, asking, "What about Appalachia?"
"We are 105 days in since one of the most devastating storms known to mankind. We are still supplying our own campers, shelters, while paying mortgages on piles of rubble. We are still running our own supply hubs for many people that lost everything, including homes and jobs. We still have bridges out - only four percent of the debris has been picked up. Many businesses are bankrupt, with insurance denying their claim," he explained...
.."Biden and Mayorkas bankrupted FEMA to pay for illegal immigrant housing, and now American citizens who lost their homes in Hurricane Helene are essentially being told to screw," Trump spokeswoman and incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/message-all-americans-storm-ravaged-western-north-carolina
Glenn Greenwald: Insane New York Speech Crackdown Shields Israel Only https://scheerpost.com/2025/01/13/glenn-greenwald-insane-new-york-speech-crackdown-shields-israel-only/
Israeli Strike on School in Northern Gaza Kills 8 Displaced Palestinians https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250111-israeli-strike-on-school-in-northern-gaza-kills-8-displaced-palestinians/
70 children killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza in last 5 days, civil defense says Around 70 children were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip in the last five days, the civil defense service said on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reports.
The agency did not provide details on the age of the victims, only saying that they lost their lives in attacks targeting several areas across the Palestinian enclave.
Palestinian children in Gaza continue to bear a heavy toll from Israel’s genocidal war, now in its 16th month, on the territory.
“The new year has brought more death and suffering from attacks, deprivation, and increasing exposure to the cold,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said on Jan. 8. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250112-70-children-killed-in-israeli-attacks-in-gaza-in-last-5-days-civil-defense-says/
'I participated in war crimes': Israeli troops open up about Gaza genocide
Israeli soldiers, who participated in genocide of besieged Palestinians, talk about feeling conflicted and regretful, adding they're talking to friends and relatives about what they saw to process it. https://www.trtworld.com/discrimination/i-participated-in-war-crimes-israeli-troops-open-up-about-gaza-genocide-18253408
Report: Israel Refusing To Commit to a Permanent Gaza Ceasefire as Part of Hostage Deal https://scheerpost.com/2025/01/13/report-israel-refusing-to-commit-to-a-permanent-gaza-ceasefire-as-part-of-hostage-deal/
Hamas Accepts US-Mediated Ceasefire, Netanyahu Convenes Urgent Security Cabinet Meeting https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/hamas-accepts-us-mediated-ceasefire-netanyahu-convenes-urgent-security-cabinet-meeting
A lot of doctors did "drink the Kool
Aid"
, too.
EXPOSED: Soros-funded PAC’s misleading campaign and unverified 17k ‘doctors’ against RFK Jr.’s nomination The Committee to Protect Health Care prominently claims the backing of thousands but has shown questionable, if not non-existent verification standards. A further example of this lax process was highlighted when an email was sent, immediately following the test of their online petition, to a fictitiously signed-up supporter, “Dr. Fake,” without any background checks. https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-01-13-exposed-soros-funded-pacs-misleading-campaign.html
"Philanthrocapitalism" Bill Gates' Foundation Tax-Exempt Status Faces Court Showdown Amid Vaccine Profit Allegations https://www.brokentruth.tv/p/bill-gates-foundation-faces-court
Space Weather News points out that the threshold solar-storm severity for a grid-destroying "Carrington Event" drops lower and lower as earth's magnetic fields weaken, which is now progressing rapidly. the actual figures have been made secret since 2010, but are likely down over 30% since 1900, and 15% since 2010.
Solar Super-Flare Killshot: What Are The Chances? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL64EcVMHMs
Hopeful Local Investor (picking the lightly-frozen peppers in front of the lightly frozen banana plants)