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Volume 27, Number 17—09/01/2024

FUTUREdition Volume 27, Number 17
Volume 27, Number 17 - 09/01/2024

Future Facts from Think Links:

Did you know that...

JOHN L. PETERSEN,

FUTURIST

 THE BIGGEST SHIFT

 IN HUMAN HISTORY:

What’s Really Happening;

Where Is This All Going?

Saturday, September 7, 2024
1:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET
in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
or via LIVESTREAM!

Click Here for Tickets and More Info
Annual Premium members receive a 10% discount
automatically at check out.
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An unusual opportunity to spend a whole afternoon with one of the world's top Futurists!

Internationally acclaimed futurist, John L. Petersen, presents the big-picture perspective of the extraordinary time in which we are living.

  • Why are we surrounded by never-ending events that don’t make practical sense?
  • Why all of the wars and killing now?
  • What is this planet-wide effort to destroy the capability to grow and distribute food?
  • Isn’t it obvious that humans need to eat?

These assaults on humanity are being augmented by unprecedented new technologies – like artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, genetic engineering and mind manipulation – for which we have no ‘operating framework’. The past provides no guidance about how to deal with what is headed this way.

Something bigger than all of us is happening. This is really unusual. We all sense it but can’t put our arms around it. Who’s driving all of this change? Certainly it is not just the results of random events that are unrelated to each other. The execution is impressively complex… and sophisticated.

On one hand, they’re poisoning the soil, water, air and electromagnetic spectrum all at the same time that they’re attacking our social, economic, cultural systems. None of it benefits humanity from any rational point of view.

So who does it benefit… and what is their ultimate objective?

Is this bigger than our planet? Perhaps we are pawns in an extraordinary, cosmic event that will give us all the opportunity to rapidly rise to become the “new human” that will populate a new world. That’s what it looks like from here.

There’s light at the end of this tunnel. Individual humans are expanding their awareness in profound, life-changing ways. We’re rapidly being exposed to new ideas about who we are, how this reality works, who else lives in the ‘neighborhood’ and what we have to do in order to surf this incomprehensible change into the emergent new world.

John’s big, integrated picture of what is in play will give you – perhaps for the first time – a coherent, internally consistent model of what humanity is experiencing right now… and more importantly, what’s coming our way and how we can prepare for it.

There’s not much time. We have to move fast. But the future that is inbound is really quite extraordinary and presents an amazing opportunity for all of us.

Join us September 7th, either in person or via livestream!  All tickets include access to the replay for six months following the original presentation.

"With the increasingly blurred lines between
reality and manipulation,
our traditional understanding of reality
is being challenged."

~ John L. Petersen ~

Join us September 7th, 2024, In Person or via Livestream!
The Country Inn, 110 S Washington Street, Berkeley Springs, WV
1:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET

All tickets include access to the replay for six months, following the original event.

Click Here for Tickets and More Info
John L. Petersen is considered by many to be one of the most informed futurists in the world. He is best-known for writing and thinking about high impact surprises (wild cards) and the process of surprise anticipation. His current professional involvements include the development of sophisticated tools for anticipatory analysis and surprise anticipation, long-range strategic planning and helping leadership design new approaches for dealing with the future.

He has led national non-profit organizations, worked in sales, manufacturing, real estate development, and marketing and advertising, mostly for companies he founded. A graduate electrical engineer, he has also promoted rock concerts; produced conventions; and worked as a disc jockey, among other things.

Mr. Petersen’s government and political experience include stints at the National War College, the Institute for National Security Studies, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council staff at the White House. He was a naval flight officer in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve and is a decorated veteran of both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. He has served in senior positions for a number of presidential political campaigns and was an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1984. He was twice the runner-up to be Secretary of the Navy.

In 1989, Petersen founded The Arlington Institute (TAI), a non-profit, future-oriented research institute. TAI operates on the premise that effective thinking about the future is impossible without casting a very wide net. The “think tank” serves as a global agent for change by developing new concepts, processes and tools for anticipating the future and translating that knowledge into better present-day decisions. Using advanced information technology, a core group of bright thinkers and an international network of exceptionally curious people along with simulations, modeling, scenario building, polling and analysis, Arlington helps equip leaders and organizations from many disciplines with tools and actionable perspectives for dealing with uncertain times.

An award-winning writer, Petersen’s first book, The Road to 2015: Profiles of the Future was awarded Outstanding Academic Book of 1995 by CHOICE Academic Review, and remained on The World Future Society’s best-seller list for more than a year. His Out of the Blue: How to Anticipate Wild Cards and Big Future Surprises book was also a WFS best-seller. His latest book, A Vision For 2012: Planning for Extraordinary Change, was published in 2007. Mr. Petersen’s coauthored article, The Year 2000: Social Chaos or Social Transformation?, was one of the most highly acclaimed writings on Y2K. His 1988 book-length report The Diffusion of Power: An Era of Realignment was used at the highest levels of American government as a basis for strategic planning. He has also written papers on the future of national security and the military, the future of energy and the future of the media.

Petersen is a past board member of the World Future Society, wrote on the future of aviation for Professional Pilot magazine and was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation. He is a former network member of the Global Business Network and a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. A provocative public speaker, he addresses a wide array of audiences around the world on a variety of future oriented subjects. When he is not writing or speaking, Petersen invests in and develops resources for large, international projects and advanced technology start-up companies. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.

JOHN L. PETERSEN,


FUTURIST




THE BIGGEST SHIFT

IN HUMAN HISTORY:




What's Really Happening;

Where Is This All Going?


 
 
Saturday, September 7, 2024 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
or via LIVESTREAM!


(All tickets include unlimited access to the replay
for six months!)


Complete information at:  
www.TransitionTalks.org

See you there!
THINK LINKS
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Every Leading Large Language Model Leans Left Politically - Need To Know, August 21, 2024

Large language models (LLMs) are artificial intelligence (AI) systems that learn by association and can create all sorts of written material. LLMs are increasingly integrating into everyday life – as chatbots, digital assistants, and internet search guides, and are influencing culture, shaping opinions and influencing voters. These AI systems lean left politically. It is unknown whether their creators fine-tuned their AIs in that direction or if the massive datasets upon which they are trained inherently biased. More here.

Why AI Models Are Collapsing And What It Means For The Future Of Technology - Forbes, August 19, 2024

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized everything from customer service to content creation, giving us tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, which can generate human-like text or images with remarkable accuracy. But there’s a growing problem on the horizon that could undermine all of AI’s achievements—a phenomenon known as "model collapse."

Model collapse, recently detailed in a Nature article by a team of researchers, is what happens when AI models are trained on data that includes content generated by earlier versions of themselves. Over time, this recursive process causes the models to drift further away from the original data distribution, losing the ability to accurately represent the world as it really is. Instead of improving, the AI starts to make mistakes that compound over generations, leading to outputs that are increasingly distorted and unreliable. More here.

Japan: AI-Powered Drones to Monitor Disaster Zones and Identify Criminals - Interesting Engineering, August 27, 2024

Japan’s government has signaled its plans to develop drones with artificial intelligence (AI) and cameras capable of autonomously identifying suspicious individuals during flights over disaster zones. During previous disasters, criminal activities like burglaries were reported in areas abandoned after residents were evacuated.

According to a Chinese media outlet, drones are set to aid law enforcement by employing AI to identify unusual activities in disaster zones, such as people carrying objects between ruined structures. Their operators will also guide officers to the suspects’ locations. Read more here.

Tiny 8mm Mind-Reading Chip Turns Thoughts into Text With 91% Accuracy - Interesting Engineering, August 26, 2024

A new, tiny brain-machine interface (BMI) has been designed that could translate thoughts into words. This development could significantly benefit those with severe motor impairments by allowing them to communicate freely. 

Researchers from EPFL have developed this high-performance Miniaturized Brain-Machine Interface (MiBMI) based on silicon chips. This tiny chip is capable of decoding complex neural signals and converting them into readable text. Read more here.
CORONA VIRUS - (COVID-19)

Here Comes the Fear: The WHO Warns that the New Mutant Strain of Monkeypox is an Emergency “For the Entire Globe” - Natural News, 16 August 2024

It was fun while it lasted. We actually had quite a few months without an official “global health emergency” to be concerned about, but now that streak is over.

Now the World Health Organization has announced that Monkeypox has officially been classified as a “public health emergency of international concern”. Health officials have lost control of the new mutant strain that is spreading in Africa, and so that is why this move was made. Compared to the strain that caused so much chaos in 2022, this new strain has a much higher death rate and we are being told that in many cases it is spreading without any sexual contact at all. If this thing gets loose in the United States and Europe, the level of fear that we will witness will be off the charts. Read more here.

Micro Chipping Workers And Leaked Biotech Presentation Regarding Pfizer COVID19 Nanotechnology Micro Chipping Of Humanity - Substack, August 27, 2024

Al Jezeera is Microchipping Workers. Dr Pedro Chavez from Comusav sent me this video link. He asked to specifically look at the leaked power point from the Biotech company. This was prepared for Pfizer. Please look at these slides carefully. The information presented is entirely consistent with what I and other researchers have found in human blood and in the Covid vials.

I too am convinced that this already was deployed on humanity. The specifications about polymer chemistry, assembly process, 5G wave antenna all is consistent with what we know. More here.

EU Vaccination Card is all About FINANCIAL CONTROL - Natural News, August 15, 2024

The European Union (EU) is set to launch next month a test run of its new European Vaccination Card (EVC) for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in five countries: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Latvia and Portugal. The vaccination card is expected to be implemented throughout the entire EU by 2026. The EU prides itself as a global pioneer in the development of digital vaccine passports, and under the new project dubbed the European Vaccination Beyond COVID-19 (EUVABECO), it will initiate pilot projects to develop and test implementation plans for tools that support both routine and crisis vaccination practices.

According to the project, the vaccination card purports to "foster informed decision-making on vaccination and improve continuity of care across the European Union. It also claims to "empower individuals by consolidating all their vaccination data in one easily accessible location." But the real reason for the development of this new system was reportedly due to the apparent lack of preparedness for the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite decades of awareness of the "significant threat to the world" posed by zoonotic diseases. And so, the new project allegedly focused on innovation leading to the rapid deployment of multidisciplinary approaches and new technologies to help authorities understand, treat and protect against the virus. Read more here.

COVID mRNA Jab Recipients Suffer 4,900% Increased Risk of Heart Failure, Japanese Researchers Discover - Natural News, August 14, 2024

Japan's leading pharmaceutical scientists are in agreement that Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "vaccines" massively increase recipients' risk of suffering heart failure.

Published in the Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, a paper they published unpacks the disturbing reality that getting jabbed for COVID with an mRNA (modRNA) injection increases one's risk of heart failure by an astounding 4,900 percent. Read more here.

“VACCINES” REDEFINED: CDC Had to Change the Definition of “Vaccines” so that mRNA Would not be Discredited by its Own Description - Natural News, 16 August, 2024

The Trojan Horse of ‘vaccinations’ is the mRNA jab, where your cells are ‘broken into’ and re-instructed to produce billions of microscopic virus clone particles that can stick together anywhere in the vascular system, cleansing organs or the brain. There is NOTHING like this in the history of vaccinations. Now, these virus clones are scientifically being identified as ‘nanoparticles’ that may be able to be programmed to join together and even target certain parts of the body or brain. Again, this is NOTHING like any “vaccine” ever created before in the deep, dark history of a world corroded with dirty immunizations.

That brings us to the old school definition of vaccination, and how they were all described under one (fake) definition umbrella, versus the new modified, amended, twisted and warped definition, that’s wickedly crafted to sound “safe and effective” just like all the rest of the dirty lot. This is the great culling. The most effective weapon of mass destruction ever created – mRNA “vaccines.” A vaccine is a biological preparation that is supposed to help the body “acquire” immunity, but this has never been verified. Vaccines contain agents that resemble disease-causing microorganisms, so true immunity could only come naturally, and that’s why true immunity lasts so much longer than any vaccine “effect” or “adverse effect.” Read more here.
NEW DISCOVERIES

Lightning Sparks the Discovery of a New Electromagnetic Wave - Medium, August 18, 2024

In the domain of electromagnetic waves, new revelations frequently mix the scholarly world. However, when lightning prompts the recognizable proof of an altogether new kind of wave that challenges current getting it, it produces swells past scholarly world.

This is exactly the situation with a new examination by two researchers from the College of The Frozen North Fairbanks (UAF). The cutting edge research has prompted the revelation of another kind of electromagnetic wave, alluded to as a "specularly reflected whistler."  More here.

Scientists Have Announced a Monumental Discovery: An Underwater Robot has Identified the Legendary Atlantis - SoulAsk, August 18, 2024

Researchers have purportedly found the lost city of Atlantis off the coast of Lanzarote, Spain. Should this be confirmed, it could be considered the most significant discovery ever, with the potential to alter our understanding of history.

The lost continent is often hailed as the greatest myth ever recounted, assuming the proportions of an actual historical event. For many, it is regarded as a historical truth awaiting confirmation. The lost city of Atlantis is among the most ancient of such myths. Read more here.

Breakthrough “Smart” Window Generates Electricity from Raindrops - The DeBrief, August 28, 2024

Researchers from Seoul National University have announced the creation of a prototype “smart” window that can generate usable electricity from the impact energy of raindrops. The windows also reflect infrared light to reduce indoor temperatures without changing their transparency, which could reduce the cost of keeping buildings cool during warm weather.

They also automatically clear themselves of frost during cold weather. According to the published research outlining the breakthrough windows, this combination of abilities makes their prototype device the first multi-functional Plus Energy smart window ever built. Read more here.
GENETICS / HEALTH TECHNOLOGY / BIOTECHNOLOGY

Researchers Achieve First Remote-Controlled Magnetic Endoscopy 5,778 Miles Away - Interesting Engineering, August 26, 2024

Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by remotely conducting a magnetic endoscopy on a live pig.

The team in Zurich controlled the procedure while the pig was on the operating table in Hong Kong, 5,778 miles (9,300 kilometers) away. Read more here.

Every Second Counts: New Blood Test Detects Deadly Brain Cancer in an Hour - Interesting Engineering, August 28, 2024

A new, affordable blood test device has been developed for early diagnosis of a deadly brain cancer: glioblastoma.  

The researchers at the University of Notre Dame have created this test that can detect indications of glioblastoma within one hour. The device is easy to use and requires only a small blood sample (about 100 microliters of blood). Read more here.

Cardiac Care Breakthrough: BiVACOR Successfully Implants First Fully Mechanical Heart - Tech Times, August 19, 2024

In a medical marvel that could redefine cardiac care, BiVACOR has successfully implanted the world's first fully mechanical heart into a human patient. This groundbreaking achievement marks a pivotal moment in the treatment of heart failure to the point that it can extend the lives of patients.

BiVACOR's Total Artificial Heart (TAH) is a state-of-the-art, titanium-crafted device, roughly the size of a human fist. Despite its compact design, this innovative heart boasts incredible functionality. Capable of pumping blood at an impressive rate of 12 liters per minute, it ensures sufficient circulation even during physical exertion. Read more here.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES / CLIMATE

This Startup Is Using Dead Leaves to Make Paper Without Cutting Trees - Good News Network, August 15, 2024

Businesses like to talk about the concept of a closed loop or circular economy, but often they’re trying to close small loops. Releaf Paper takes dead leaves from city trees and turns them into paper for bags, office supplies, and more, which is to say they are striving to close one heck of a big loop.

How big? Six billion trees are cut down every year for paper products according to the WWF, producing everything from toilet paper to Amazon boxes to the latest best-selling novels. Meanwhile, the average city produces 8,000 metric tons of leaves every year which clog gutters and sewers, and have to be collected, composted, burned, or dumped in landfills. Read more here.

Zero Emission Cement - Interesting Engineering, August 27, 2024

Cambridge researchers developed a zero-emission cement method, recycling old concrete in steel furnaces. If powered by renewables, this could cut 7.5% of global emissions and make concrete fully sustainable. Read more here.
COMMUNICATIONS / COMPUTING

National Public Data Admits Hackers Stole Social Security Numbers Affecting Nearly All Americans - Need to Know, August 20, 2024

Jerico Pictures Inc., the Coral Springs, Fla.-based entity that does business as National Public Data (NPD), confirmed that it was hacked by cyber criminals and released a statement acknowledging that “the information that was suspected of being breached contained name, email address, phone number, social security number, and mailing address(es).” NPD, which conducts criminal background checks for employers and investigators “for some of the lowest fees in the industry,” did not specify how many people were affected. The alleged hackers were reported to have put the database with the information up for sale for $3.5 million, according to a lawsuit.

Critics predict that digital ID will be offered as a solution. More here.

Starlink to Beam Free Emergency Service for all Mobile Users Globally - Interesting Engineering, August 28, 2024

Elon Musk has decided that Starlink emergency services will be available to all mobile phone users across the world. The company’s cellular tech enables emergency alerts to reach users in even dead cellular zones, using orbiting satellites to broadcast critical messages.

The service is expected to ensure public safety, unhindered connectivity, and revolutionize emergency communication. SpaceX has already launched nearly 130 direct-to-cellular satellites into space over the last eight months, with more launches scheduled in the days ahead. Read more here.

The Slow-Burn Nightmare of the National Public Data Breach - Wired, August 19, 2024

Data breaches are a seemingly endless scourge with no simple answer, but the breach in recent months of the background-check service National Public Data illustrates just how dangerous and intractable they have become. And after four months of ambiguity, the situation is only now beginning to come into focus with National Public Data finally acknowledging the breach on Monday just as a trove of the stolen data leaked publicly online.

In April, a hacker known for selling stolen information, known as USDoD, began hawking a trove of data on cybercriminal forums for $3.5 million that they said included 2.9 billion records and impacted “the entire population of USA, CA and UK.” As the weeks went on, samples of the data started cropping up as other actors and legitimate researchers worked to understand its source and validate the information. By early June, it was clear that at least some of the data was legitimate and contained information like names, emails, and physical addresses in various combinations. More here.
ENERGY DEVELOPMENTS  

China Scientists’ Breakthrough Flow Battery Hits 850 Cycles, Retains 99.95% Capacity - Interesting Engineering, August 28, 2024

Researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics have developed novel naphthalene-based organic redox-active molecules (ORAMs) for aqueous organic flow batteries. The newly developed ORAMs demonstrate that they can achieve stable cycling in normal atmosphere conditions, a press release said. 

A redox flow battery is a type of electrochemical cell in which electric current is generated by components dissolved in liquids stored on opposite sites of a membrane. Advantages of redox flow batteries include their ability to scale power and low cost of ownership. However, low cycle energy and the use of rare metals like vanadium have limited their use. Read more here.

America’s Energy Awakening: Why Consumers are Ready to Power the Future with Renewables and Storage - Clean Energy, August 28, 2024

The energy landscape is changing fast, and at Powin, we wanted to better understand how the average American is preparing for their future energy needs. Countless reports have determined that energy demand is skyrocketing due to data center usage which is exacerbated by AI, more electric vehicles on the road, and home electrification.  In short, the power grid needs more support to meet the energy needs of the 21st century.

To that end, Powin surveyed 1,000 American consumers 18 or older to discover how prepared they are for the next generation of energy consumption and their preference for addressing rising demand. From our findings, it’s clear that not only are utility-scale solar and storage crucial to support the ongoing energy transition, but consumers are also jumping on board. Read more here.

Annual Reports Present America’s Growing Wind Energy Future - Renewable Energy Magazine, August 28, 2024

Over the past year, the U.S. wind energy sector showcased its resilience and potential, as detailed in the 2024 editions of the annual market reports released by the U.S. Department of Energy,

The reports find that the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act has led to significant increases in near-term wind deployment forecasts and has motivated billions of dollars of investment in the domestic wind supply chain, despite ongoing challenges that the industry is navigating. Read more here.
TRANSPORT

Deep Orange 15: US Army Unveils Student-Built Autonomous Rescue Vehicle - Interesting Engineering, August 16, 2024

The US Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) has unveiled a groundbreaking semi-autonomous ground rescue vehicle, Deep Orange 15. This futuristic vehicle has been designed by Clemson University students to revolutionize search and rescue operations.

This cutting-edge vehicle represents the 15th iteration of Clemson’s esteemed Deep Orange program. Notably, the Deep Orange 15 is equipped with numerous advanced technologies designed to tackle the most challenging scenarios faced during rescue operations. Read more here.
AGRICULTURE / FOOD

US Govt. Finally Admits that Fluoride in the Public Water Supply Damages Children - Need to Know, August 26, 2024

A report from the National Toxicology Program, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, concluded that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter is consistently associated with lower IQs in children.

About 70% of America’s drinking water supply is fluoridated. Fluoride is linked to lower IQ in children, cancer and reduced fertility. Alex Jones said that the controllers in America after WW2 intentionally made people sick by mixing the waste from aluminum production, uranium purification and phosphate mining and dumped it into the water supply. Instead of adding calcium fluoride to the water, harmful hydrofluorosilicic acid is used. The acid can bind with other toxins and can cross the blood-brain barrier. It is known to cause bone cancer and it concentrates in bones, liver and brain. More here.

Digital Marketing Innovating Agriculture: How Digital Media and Content Creators like Tanner Winterhof are Shaping the Future of Farming - Tech Bullion, August 28, 2024

In recent years, digital content has become a fundamental force in shaping industries, catalyzing changes from how businesses operate to how knowledge is disseminated. Agriculture, traditionally viewed as a sector resistant to rapid change, is increasingly influenced by digital content creators who bring innovative practices, cutting-edge technology, and new perspectives to the forefront. These individuals leverage platforms ranging from YouTube and Instagram to podcasts and niche blogs, transforming how agricultural knowledge is shared and consumed globally.

Tanner Winterhof exemplifies this new breed of agricultural professional. Co-host and one of the founding members of the ag podcast Farm4Profit, Winterhof’s journey from traditional farming roles to becoming a respected content creator in agriculture illustrates the broader trend of digital empowerment in the sector. His podcast’s content, which spans practical farming advice, technological insights, and industry trends, serves as a blueprint for how digital tools can transform personal experiences and insights into catalysts for industry-wide innovation. Through his work, Winterhof not only educates his audience but also inspires other agricultural professionals to explore and adopt new practices that could redefine the future of farming. Read more here.

The Economics of Wind Turbines Make No Sense: Now We Know Why! - Solari, August 22, 2024

Wind turbines are really a land grab - control the land.  The same goes for the solar farms. Watch here.
SECURITY & THE FUTURE OF WARFARE

Mercenaries – The New Way to Fight Wars - Armstrong Economics, August 22, 2024

We tend to think of war as a national army against a national army. But wars have changed dramatically since Iraq. Mercenaries are more powerful than most realize, which is a grave oversight. Those who assume they are cheap imitations of national armed forces do not have a clue about what is taking place. For-profit warriors are a wholly different species of fighter. Perhaps the first time anyone even heard about some private military company was Russia’s Wagner Group, which was more heavily armed than the traditional national military. They are fully armed multinational corporations, more so than the Marine Corps. Their employees are recruited from different countries, and profitability is everything. Patriotism is unimportant and sometimes a liability. Unsurprisingly, mercenaries do not fight conventionally, and traditional war strategies used against them often backfire.

If we look at the Iraq War, the US Department of Defense employed 155,826 private contractors in Iraq. In 2016, 1 in 4 U.S. armed personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan was a private contractor. This meant that the war was being outsourced, and neither scholars nor the media seemed to pay attention. Looking at the stats provides an interesting perspective. Between 2006 and 2016, we do not even know how many private contractors/mercenaries perished in Iraq. Looking at who does this work reveals that they are predominantly white man in their 40s. Most are veterans with significant military experience who were former officers, and about half of them are Special Forces veterans. They are more likely to have a college degree than their active-duty counterparts but less likely than their fellow veterans in the general population. Read more here.

Revisionist Zionists Dare the U.S. to Pull the Plug on their Nakba Agenda - Strategic Culture, August 19, 2024

America is trapped. The power-brokers are unhappy, but impotent. Israelis have been deeply divided these last years, unable to coalesce around a government. After five general elections, they decided to dismiss the Lapid/Gantz team and to put a new coalition formed around Netanyahu and small Jewish supremacist parties into power. However, soon after the formation of the new government, there occurred an severe outbreak of ‘buyers’ remorse’, with a substantial segment of Israelis seemingly ready to contemplate almost anything to oust their government.

Demonstrations have occurred regularly throughout Israel to prevent the country from becoming, in the words of one former Mossad director, “a racist and violent state that cannot survive”. But it is probably already too late. More here.

'A NATO Invasion of Nuclear Russia is Currently Underway, and the World is Unaware that it is in World War III.' Has President Putin's Patience Reached its Limits? - Signs Of The Times, August 18, 2024


Step by step, Washington and its NATO partners have been crossing one red line after the other.
  • First, NATO weapons in Ukraine;
  • then NATO troops un Ukaine;
  • then F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine;
  • then NATO soldiers commanding the sophisticated weaponry supplied by the west;
  • then NATO troops on Russian territories; then NATO drones and aircraft attacking Russian targets on Russian territory - and finally NATO troops attempting taking over an entire Russian district, taking Russian prisoners, killing Russians.
Read more here.
TRENDS OF GOVERNANCE

“The Council” – Who is Running the United States of America? - 2nd Smartest Guy in the World, August 16, 2024

“The Council” and everyone and everything that emanates from them, has controlled the United States for the past fifty years for the purpose of extracting our nation’s wealth. Our constitutional government and the federal workforce’s purpose is to protect our wealth, and the “public good” of the American people. “The Council’s” purpose is to crush and destroy it.

They use the tools of indictments, obstruction, and government agencies they have weaponized to attack their enemies under false color of law. They alone select who will be winners and losers in politics, business, the economy, media, elections, education, and do so with complete amorality. Exposing them by name, their corruption and means of control, and identifying how to dismantle their illegitimate power is the first step in the restoration of the United States of America as a constitutional republic. More here.

Migrant Gangs Taking Control of US Cities - Greg Reese, August 30, 2024

We are now living in a time when foreign gangs can cross over our border and seize people’s property at gunpoint with no fear of the law. 

“This video has been making the rounds online. It shows armed men walking through the building, knocking on doors and entering an apartment. These men are part of a dangerous Venezuelan gang, and their numbers have been growing steadily because of the crisis at the border. There have been rumblings of new gang activity in Aurora all summer. Officials have skated around the topic, but now there is video and victims they can't deny.” Watch here.
INTERNATIONAL TRENDS

Lebanon Plunged Into Darkness As Last Operational Power Plant Runs Out Of Fuel - Zero Hedge, August 19, 2024

The entirety of the Lebanese capital and the whole nation has been plunged into darkness amid a crippling power outage which has been in effect since midday Saturday.

That's when the state power provider Electricité du Liban (EDL) announced in a statement that "the last operational unit at the Zahrani power plant was forced to shut down completely, due to the complete depletion of the plant's fuel oil reserves, resulting in a total power outage across all Lebanese territories."  The official statement identified that the shutdown affects "essential facilities such as the airport, port, water pumps, sewage systems and prisons." The situation could grow dangerous for the citizenry given that even wastewater treatment facilities and drinking water pumping stations have been impacted, resulting in the South Lebanon Water Establishment to issue a statement "urging citizens to conserve water as much as possible due to the expected reduction in water supply." More here.

Russia Extends Gasoline Export Ban Until the End of 2024 - Oil Price, August 14, 2024

Russia is extending its ban on gasoline exports from October to the end of December 2024, as it seeks to keep domestic supply stable amid seasonal demand and scheduled repairs at refineries, the Russian government said.

In the autumn of 2023, Russia banned exports of diesel and gasoline in an effort to stabilize domestic fuel prices in the face of soaring prices and shortages as crude oil rallied and the Russian ruble weakened. Prior to implementing the ban, Russia had raised mandatory supply volumes for motor gasoline and diesel fuel to deal with a supply crunch. Read more here.
LIFESTYLE / SOCIAL TRENDS & VALUES

The Importance of Mental Resilience in Crisis Situations: Strategies for Staying Calm When SHTF - Natural News, August 16, 2024

When preparing for different emergencies, you should keep in mind that mental and emotional preparedness is just as important as your food stockpile. This ensures that when SHTF, you can stay calm and help your family stay safe no matter what scenario you are facing. Emergencies are often very stressful and demanding. But if you know how to strengthen your mental preparedness, things won't seem so scary when SHTF.

Resilience means being able to recover from difficult situations and knowing how to adapt to challenging situations. Here are some tips on how to develop a resilient mindset: Read more here.

Alabama Sets Up Boxes Where Mothers can Anonymously Dump Their Unwanted Newborn Babies - Natural News, August 16, 2024

Alabama’s recently expanded Safe Haven Law allows for “baby boxes” to be installed on the exterior walls of fire stations and hospitals where mothers can anonymously dump their unwanted babies. Footage shared on X demonstrating how the box operates shows a safe-like structure with a heavy door that opens to reveal a sad-looking box where mothers can “surrender” their babies without facing legal repercussions; the other side of the box has a transparent window with ventilation holes and opens up inside the facility where it is installed.

These boxes are installed at sites that have emergency workers on site 24/7, and an alarm inside the box alerts them that a baby has been placed inside. Cameras are installed inside the box as well, and the interior is a climate-controlled environment. When the door is opened, an orange bag drops out that contains information for the mother, such as where to get free counseling, medical information and resources for victims of human trafficking. This information is also available on their website, where they explain what physical and mental symptoms are normal after giving birth, how to stop the flow of breast milk, and what symptoms to look out for; this information is also provided in Spanish. Read more here.
CONTACT & THE EXPLORATION OF SPACE

The Connection Between UFO Sightings and National Security - Time, August 28, 2024

Over the past few months, officials responsible for running the federal government’s investigation into “unidentified anomalous phenomena” or UAP—the new term for UFOs have been speaking publicly about their findings. In March, the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) released its first report on historical UFO sightings, concluding that it “has not discovered any empirical evidence that any sighting of a UAP represented off-world technology or the existence a classified program that had not been properly reported to Congress.”

AARO’s Acting Director Tim Phillips reiterated this point in a news conference. Meanwhile, former Director Sean Kirkpatrick has gone on record to criticize conspiracy theorists for making baseless claims, and, in a recent interview, he expressed his exasperation at threats made to him and his family. None of this, however, had done anything to quell demands by some members of Congress and disclosure advocates for the U.S. government to release all its classified documents involving unidentified flying objects. How did it come to this? Watch here.

Palmdale UFO Scare Leads To Revelations About Mystery Drone Incursions Over Secretive Plant 42 - The War Zone, August 19, 2024

The U.S. Air Force’s Plant 42 in California, America’s premier hub for advanced aerospace development work, especially highly classified military programs, has seen a wave of mysterious drone incursions in recent months. The incidents have now become serious enough to prompt the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to impose new, if temporary flight restrictions around the sprawling high-security facility. The Air Force acknowledged these incidents in response to our questions about purported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the area which became viral on social media over the weekend and that local law enforcement appears to have received no reports about.

Palmdale Regional Airport shares the runways with Plant 42, which is home to Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works advanced projects division, as well as similar arms of both Northrop Grumman and Boeing. NASA also has a flight testing center there. As a prime example of the work that goes on at Plant 42, it is where Northrop Grumman has been building the U.S. Air Force’s new B-21 Raider stealth bombers. America’s most sensitive and ‘bleeding edge’ aerospace weaponry emerges from this facility, so security at the installation, which is located in a relatively urban area, is taken very seriously. Read more here.

Imminent: Former Counterintelligence Agent’s New Memoir Reveals an Insider’s Look at UFOs - The Debrief, August 22, 2024

Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… this week, a new memoir by former U.S. counterintelligence agent Luis Elizondo was officially released, and in our analysis, we’ll be looking at

1) the release of Elizondo’s Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs,
2) what Elizondo has said publicly about his past government work since the book was released, and
3) why issues involving U.S. government transparency remain at the forefront of the public UAP debate.More here.

Space Bar: Faster Brewed, Better-Tasting Beer Possible in Microgravity - Interesting Engineering, August 16, 2024

Scientists have taken “happy hour” to a whole new level by experimenting with beer production in simulated zero gravity. On Earth, gravity is the unseen force shaping our world from how our body behaves to even at the molecular level like crystal formations and fluid dynamics. 

Take away gravity, things will begin to behave in unexpected ways. But it has advantages in certain cases for instance, International Space Station (ISS) experiments have shown that drug crystals and 3D prints tend to form in a better manner under the influence of microgravity. Curious about beer yeast’s cosmic behavior, the University of Florida scientists performed a microgravity experiment on Earth. They developed a simulated space environment to observe beer yeast behavior during fermentation. Read more here.
STATISTICS / DEMOGRAPHICS

A “Retail Apocalypse” is Gaining Momentum All Over America. Is Your Favorite Chain Closing Stores? - Natural News, August 13, 2024

Why are retailers closing thousands of stores if the U.S. economy is in good shape?  Of course the truth is that the U.S. economy is not in good shape at all.  The cost of living crisis is absolutely crushing working families all over the nation, and U.S. consumers simply don’t have as much discretionary income as they once did.  Needless to say, our retailers are highly dependent on discretionary spending, and many of them have been reporting very disappointing sales numbers recently.  Sadly, the problems that our retailers are experiencing are only going to intensify as U.S. economic activity continues to slow down.

According to CBS News, U.S. retailers have announced the closing of more than 3,000 locations in 2024… Read more here.
ECONOMY / FINANCE / BUSINESS

Can the Dollar Survive a Civil War? - Armstrong Economics, August 30, 2024

Question : It appears that your forecast for an American Civil War will also materialize. You have pointed out numerous times. People make immediate decisions like conquering Iraq and never think what is the end result. They Have done the same with these illegals. Thank you for pointing out the stupidity of their actions. What will happen when the checks stop. And then they want to disarm us. What a combination. Read and watch more here.

U.S. Credit Card Debt Hits $1.14 TRILLION, With the Average Balance Per Consumer Now at $6,329 - Natural News, August 14, 2024

Credit card debt in the U.S. has reached $1.14 trillion for the second quarter of the year. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (NY Fed) revealed this figure on Aug. 6, noting that this was $20 billion higher than the $1.12 trillion recorded for the first quarter of 2024. A year prior, that figure was $1.03 trillion.

Meanwhile, a separate quarterly credit industry insights report from credit reporting agency TransUnion found that the average balance per consumer stands at $6,329. This figure was up 4.8 percent year over year. (Related: US credit card debt rises to historic high of $1.03 trillion.) Both TransUnion and the NY Fed also found that credit card delinquency rates have risen across the board. According to the reserve, roughly 9.1 percent of credit card balances transitioned into delinquency over the last year. Moreover, credit card delinquencies were higher among younger adults – borrowers between the ages of 18 and 39 – who were likely harder hit by the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Read more here.
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH - articles off the beaten track which may - or may not - have predictive value.

MK Ultra Has Been Deployed on Everyone - Substack, August 16, 2024

'TRANCE FORMATION OF AMERICA' discussed these criminals' plans for a global genocide and how the means for achieving this would be through mass mind control. Read more here.

We Built a Surveillance State. What Now? - Project on Government Oversight, August 19, 2024

Our Constitution is meant to protect us from government monitoring, with good reason authoritarian rulers and governments have long used spying as a means to control the public.

But government data collection is often justified with a series of false choices. We’re told that to remain safe, we must collect everything. That we must choose between liberty and safety. That those who do nothing wrong have nothing to worry about. These statements are dangerously wrong. More here.

Spies and Their Lies: the Trials and Tribulations at Guantanamo - Counter Punch, April 10, 2024

The biblical quotation engraved on the marble walls of the lobby of the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Nearly 25 years ago, a group of suicide bombers attacked the U.S.S. Cole off Aden, Yemen, with the loss of 17 U.S. sailors.  A Saudi, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, believed to be the mastermind of the attack, was captured in 2002, and was officially charged in 2011 with leading the attack.  He has become the longest-running capital murder case at Guantanamo, where his trial is expected to take place next year.

A major reason for the delay is that al-Nashiri, like so many captives at Guantanamo, was subjected to secret imprisonment by the CIA as well as waterboarding, rectal abuse, and prolonged sleep deprivation.  A previous judge at Guantanamo excluded the confessions of al-Nashiri and others because of CIA’s torture and abuse.  U.S. prosecutors have asked the Court of Military Commissions to reinstate the confessions, and the rest of this year will be taken up with this issue at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.  The new judge, Colonel Matthew Fitzgerald, is the fourth to preside in this case, and he was still in law school when the U.S.S. Cole was attacked and 9/11 took place. More here.
DOWN MEMORY LANE

History: September 1, 1972 - History.com

Bobby Fischer becomes the first American to win the World Chess Championship
HAPPY NEWS

5,000 Are Now Sleeping with Roof Over Their Head Thanks to Oregon Task Force Slashing Homelessness - Good News Network, August 27, 2024

Nearly 5,500 Oregonians have been moved out of homelessness and into housing thanks to persistence from a recently-appointed task force.

This amounts to a 28% increase from the previous year, and the number of housing placements is the most seen in a fiscal year since the task force’s inception. Read more here.
RANDOM FACT
In 1916, there was a proposed Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would put all acts of war to a national vote. Anyone voting "yes" would have to register as a volunteer for service in the army.
A FINAL QUOTE
We should all be concerned about the future because
we will have to spend the rest of our lives there.
~ Charles Kettering ~
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Be Kind
A special thanks to all of you who have sent us interesting links in the past.  If you see something we should know about, do send it along - thanks.
johnp@arlingtoninstitute.org
John Petersen & Gregg Braden speak at the Tesla Extraordinary Technology Conference in Albuquerque, NM in August 2024

Premium What’s Up—From the Tesla Tech Conference

Futurist John Petersen warns of escalating global tensions, predicting chaos before the U.S. election and a potential solar flare by 2027.

PostScript Insight—Sep 5th: Preparing for Global Upheaval