@NCSteveCB
Account based inUnited States
About this account
- Account based in
- United States
- Connected via
- United States App Store
Account-level information from X, not a live location or the device used for a specific post.
High School Graduate Yard Man
Joined February 2023
- Tweets3.6K
- Following152
- Followers368
- Likes5.5K
I started at 67 and 10 months. I read Laurence J. Kotlikoff's book cover to cover.
After all the study, I made my own decision. Here's the issue I never read about anywhere that is always left out.
The advice is based on an individual's benefit, not a couple's.
If one person dies earlier, you have forgone all those years you could have been collecting two benefits. You will never make that up on one benefit maxed at 70 years of age.
We're pulling two benefits and every year we are both here, we are ahead in the game.
Just a thought. It's never as simple as they say. Your mileage may differ...
There is no one size fits all solution.
My view is the "safest" solution is to land somewhere in the middle.
None of the traditional advice considers the potential 23% cut coming by 3033...or the fact that if you are a couple collecting two benefits, it makes sense to maximize the time both of you are alive while avoiding the largest penalties. To do this, you arguably should land somewhere in the middle.
Your mileage may vary. Everyone has to assess their personal situation and make their own decision.
msn.com/en-us/money/other/it…
'The U.S. had an unusually low number of flu cases during the 2020–2021 season, with the CDC reporting only 1,675 positive clinical laboratory test results. This drastic drop happened because of COVID-19 safety steps."
I don't think nearly enough as been made of this. My take: It's not remotely possible, and is evidence of something far more ominous and devious.
This could have been part of a strategy to dramatically inflate the case numbers for Covid, increase fear and drive the population toward the coming "vaccines".
It you went to a clinic or hospital in 2020 with respiratory symptoms, the first thing they did was run a Covid test. All they had to do was ramp up the cycle count, and voila: Covid.
They never ran a flu test. Under such a scenario, every flu case became a Covid case.
Rand Paul has signaled intent to be more forgiving of Fauci if he would just come clean about his "mistakes".
If Fauci and the powers that be did this, it would rank among the most horrific attacks on humanity in modern times. It attacked innocents the world over.
No penalty would be too harsh for the perpetrators of this deception: It would have to be done with malicious intent.
Congressional committees need to be asking what happened to the flu cases. All the supposed interventions to prevent infection didn't work for Covid, so why would they work for flu? My answer: They didn't.
Flu was a Trojan horse to sell the Covid story.
Perhaps the real plot has not yet fully emerged, because it is too evil to contemplate.
Maybe it's time to contemplate the possibility that the forces behind the Covid emergence are more evil than we can possibly imagine.
We need to imagine the worst...and investigate.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the flu causes between 9.4 million and 51 million illnesses"
...and we supposedly had only 1,675 cases in 2020-2021.
If you take 35 million cases annually as a mid-range estimate, that means all flu was eliminated except for five one thousandths of a percent of cases. That would be the greatest medical miracle of all time and celebrated all over the world.
But...crickets. Because it never happened. How can the world be so gullible?
And they are getting away with it...
No one can predict the course of the war in Iran. Certainly, not me.
But here is my take:
A long time ago, I took a course that looked at decision making models. I don't remember them all, but here were three:
1) Rational Actor Model
2) Organizational Output
3) Organized Anarchy
The first model assumes rational decisions are being made by an actor/leader subject to information inputs that are analyzed, ranked or prioritized and subsequently chosen.
The second model assumes that choices are constrained by organizational inputs and structures, so the decision maker is working with a structured and reduced set of options that emerge as opposed to being actively chosen. Decisions are largely organizational outputs.
The third model is just what it sounds like: fluid structures, competing interests, diffuse power and a chaotic decision-making process. One of the most common examples of an organization functioning as an organized anarchy is a public university.
While the current war decision processes arguably show elements of all three models, my view is we have moved from a rational actor (or irrational actor to some) model to a situation where decisions will be highly constrained going forward. As systems break down, we will increasingly see elements of Organized Anarchy.
Here's why:
My view of the current dire state of the war in Iran exceeds that of most analysts, if that is even possible.
If the current Washington Post story is accurate, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of the US military’s European Command, has warned the U.S. may not be able to defend Israel in an escalating conflict.
With Israel's longstanding Samson Doctrine in place, the likelihood of them using a nuclear weapon goes way up, if it is incurring widespread destruction. Israel is already a pariah in the eyes of the world, and using a nuke would cement that view and potentially mobilize a coalition to attack and/or destroy Israel.
This fits the scenario laid out in Ezekiel 38 regarding an Arab, Persian, Turkish and Russian coalition invading from the north. While the bible certainly doesn't reference nuclear weapons, it's hard to imagine a more decisive trigger.
The account also describes other countries (deemed to be Western my most analysts) standing down rather than taking an active military posture. With U.S. munitions being depleted rapidly (and a structural silver shortage hindering resupply), the U.S. is poised to stay on the sidelines.
Forty $ trillion in debt, rising rates (and interest expense), rising oil prices and treasury sales by China and Japan are all conspiring to create an inflationary spiral as the Fed is forced to print. They can't let rates rise because of the debt level. Corporate refinancing of debt originated at two or three percent will risk rising bankruptcies as rates rise.
The FED will be forced to assume the role of buyer of last resort, but they can't print without eviscerating the dollar.
Even so, they will have to choose the financial system or the dollar. Given that choice they will choose the road that saves the financial system, however short that road may be.
In such an environment, the U.S. will be forced to stand down, absent its own Samson moment.
When the U.S. stands down, Israel will do whatever it has to do to survive...and that will unleash the firestorm, literally and figuratively.
At this point, I believe decisions will be highly constrained by the now inevitable and tightening macro financial constraints. The Fed is in a box... and so are we.
Your mileage may vary, and that is as it should be. But we can likely all agree the danger is rising daily.
Enter constraints imposed by the modern manifestation of Kipling's Great Game. The geopolitical order risks seismic change.
nitter.cf/Mark4XX/status/2083836…
FORMER NATO SUPREME COMMANDER: THIS WAR IS NOW EXISTENTIAL FOR US HEGEMONY — NO EXIT ALLOWED
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark just laid out the real thinking inside Washington. This is no longer about Iran. It is about whether the United States remains the global hegemon or watches its power collapse in real time. Stopping is not an option. That is the hard line now being drawn.
THE EXISTENTIAL STAKES
➡️ Clark makes it clear: if America pulls back and lets Iran keep control of the Strait of Hormuz, the hit to US global leadership is permanent.
➡️ He warns it would damage American deterrence, weaken influence in Asia, and undermine the security of Europe in one stroke.
➡️ This is the decision point. Failure here is not a temporary setback. It is the end of the post-1945 order.
THE NO-EXIT REALITY
➡️ Clark rejects any idea of simply walking away or signing a weaker deal.
➡️ “Pulling back, that’s no good,” he states without hesitation.
➡️ An MOU worse than the last one would signal American weakness to every rival watching.
➡️ China and Russia are already feeling good about the current trajectory. Clark says they should not be allowed to celebrate further.
THE STRATEGIC TRAP
➡️ There is no easy military solution, yet retreat is worse.
➡️ The near-term fight must stay focused on keeping the Strait open and isolating the theater of operations.
➡️ Any pause only gives Iran time to rebuild, rearm, and dig in deeper.
➡️ Clark insists the longer-term threat of Iranian missiles and nuclear capability cannot be ignored either.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Wesley Clark is not speaking as a pundit. He is speaking as a former NATO Supreme Commander who understands exactly how the deep state and neoconservative core in Washington now view this conflict.
This war has become existential for American global power.
Stopping is no longer on the table.
HT: YouTube Piers Morgan Uncensored
#WesleyClark #IranWar #USHegemony #NoExit #GlobalLeadership #StraitOfHormuz #AmericanPower
I don't recall Jeffrey Christian ever being bullish on silver across the last 25 years. He is silver's proverbial wet blanket.
Maybe the supply-spoofing, price-suppressing, paper-dependent price discovery mechanism really is breaking.
There's an old axiom that says "What you see depends on where you sit."
As the consummate insider with a seat at the CPM, he should know if the wheels are coming off...
Jeff Christian’s view: Silver will remain around $50 and rise sharply after August. The same scenario applies to Gold. The rally seen last year is repeating itself over the last four months.
More on China's July 24th restrictions on leveraged trading of gold futures:
When 99+ plus percent of supply is paper, price is wildly suppressed. The price discovery mechanism has been spoofed since the Volcker years via dilution of supply. Taking out the paper will force a once-in-a-lifetime repricing event.
Equilibrium price will be determined by the 1% (or less) of physical supply remaining.
China's July 24th restrictions on leveraged trading look like Part one of a two part plan. Part 2 is likely a far more aggressive accumulation of physical gold and silver from the COMEX and LBMA through surrogates.
Part one means nothing without part two. Futures traders would simply migrate back to western exchanges and the price suppression game would continue. The goal is now to control the price discovery mechanism (at true physical values), after decades of gold and silver accumulation while price was overtly suppressed.
It's time to realize the value...which opens the door to Part 3: Backing the Yuan with Gold/Silver and knocking the legs out from under the dollar. When that happens, the entire financial system changes, and U.S. ascendancy is no more.
When China forces a declaration of force majeure, the metals will reprice, suddenly and beyond the most extreme predictions. Don't risk missing it by trying to trade it...which is why the safe move (as painful as it may have been) was not to sell during the run-up to $120 silver.
The physical-price reset is the Mother Lode. Don't miss it...
Is China's decision to put the brakes on leveraged retail trading on July 24th part one of a two-part process?
If China wants to move the market to physical-only trading/fair pricing, they can buy futures through surrogates on the COMEX and LBMA and take delivery. That could be Part 2.
The exchanges don’t have the metal to deliver at scale. The system was designed to inflate supply, suppress price and support the dollar. It depends on the vast majority of buyers rolling over contracts or taking cash payments rather than standing for delivery.
China can match deep pockets against deep pockets and take this wherever they want. And July 24th says they are moving toward a physical market.
Some reports say they hold as much as 100,000 tonnes of gold, compared to the U.S.'s 8,100ish…if we have it at all.
China can force a declaration of Force Majeure, and a subsequent failure to deliver.
That will break the system that has ruled pricing for the last 50 years or so. Position accordingly, if you believe it will play out this way. Physical-only price discovery is an entirely different animal...
On Surveillance and Privacy...
The new cars and trucks are now some of the most invasive surveillance tools. Assuming one could even afford them, buying a new one is volunteering to be not just tracked, but watched every time you enter the vehicle.
Your facial expressions are monitored, your eye position is tracked, your speed is tracked and compared to posted speed limits...and all of it is stored and reported elsewhere. Your insurance company will rate you accordingly. Forward and rear-facing cameras record everything going on around you.
While being spied upon, you are also an unwitting spy. You have joined the surveillance network, and are now part of Orwell's Thought Police, Ministry of Love and social/character reporting network.
The simplest and most effective route to mass surveillance and control is to enlist us all to report on ourselves and each other.
You’ve probably seen the stories about putting up one fence section at a time around a feeder to trap hogs. The hogs can come and go without fear since there is always a way out. They adjust to the new sections and continue feeding…until the last section goes up and the gate slams shut.
Vehicles, phones and personal computers are the fence sections. We are the hogs.
The gate has been installed. All they have to do is close it…
********************
"He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
Revelation 13:16-17
Victor Hugo Quotes
Life At Its Best Is A Cosmic Romance Filled With Mystery, Beauty And Wonder
Find the one written for you. It's in there...
goodreads.com/author/quotes/…
Why “Watch”?
I have written volumes on the “Last Days”, and in particular about Jesus’s warnings that we should watch for his return…always…since we do not know the day or the hour. But it is all the more urgent when we see the signs he mentioned in the Olivet Discourse "begin to happen". (Matthew 24).
I finally spent some time trying to put some of the parts and pieces I have gathered across the years into one place. This is why I believe we are called to watch, and why I believe some will not go through the tribulation as the world unravels.
I hope it is meaningful to you. Here you go:
*************
Warnings to watch...for a surprise (thief in the night) return:
"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Matthew 24:42
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:13
"Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” Mark 13:33
"Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning..." "And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mark 13:35, 37
"Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.” Luke 12:35-37
"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:40
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:36
So, some will escape the tribulation to come. Those who watch and pray?
"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour (time) of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Revelation 3:10.
For the faithful church…
**************
The thief in the night references combined with the "watch" commands suggest something very different from the return at the end of the age. Everyone will see the return at the end:
"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." This doesn't appear to be a "thief in the night" event.
Hence the admonitions to watch...
************
The Days of Noah
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
”*************************************************************
Jack Van Impe, noted prophecy teacher (now deceased) was a champion for the pre-tribulation rapture. He had memorized over 10,000 bible verses and was sometimes called the “walking bible”. Interestingly, he did not think these verses were evidence of the rapture. I am not so sure.
He used to say, a verse without context is a pretext. He thought the verses above were about “judgment” on the wicked, not rapture of the saved. The flood, of course, brought judgment to a sinful world, while only a few were saved. Jack believed these verses describe the sinful being “taken away” or destroyed like people were in the flood. While this is reasonable, it is not necessarily correct.
Let’s think about what the days of Noah were like. First, they were filled with violence. Secondly, people were oblivious of the coming judgment…they were living their lives “normally” doing the things they always did, without concern for the warnings of Noah. His likely warnings would have been ridiculed.
Here is why I think Jack may have overlooked the significance of these verses, (while admitting they can be taken either way). First, it seems unlikely people will be oblivious to the death and destruction occurring during the tribulation. Life will be anything but normal. If you do the math, half of the population will die. Maybe 4 billion people. ("And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.” Matthew 24:22)
Let’s think of the ark as an earthly archetype of heaven for a moment. Viewed this way, the elect were “taken up” into the ark…and the others were left to the tribulation of the flood. The ark was a place of refuge for the chosen and the faithful.
Perhaps these verses do indeed describe the rapture of the church. One will be taken…to the ark of heaven…and another left…to the flood of tribulation. Watch.
*************
The Parable of the Virgins is instructive and should give us pause. Could the rapture be only for those who watch? All were believers...some did not watch and were locked out. Jesus repeatedly warned us to watch.
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Perhaps the rapture is indeed (only) for those who watch. When loved ones are visiting, don't we all look out the window anxiously anticipating their arrival? How much more so with our savior...who told us to "watch", over and over.
Watch...
More...
For My Christian Friends
Why "Watch"?
In my "Last Days" musings, a major theme emerged regarding Jesus's frequent warnings to "Watch", as he would come as a thief in the night.
I have never done a specific count on the number of verses warning to watch, or about watching or looking up. But I have always written it was somewhere around a dozen, at least that I had identified. Numerous references are included in my longstanding...and long, Last Days Thread.
Since AI can arguably read faster than I can, I decided to ask it to do the work. My "go to" is typically ChatGPT, but this time I asked Google, and Google AI went to work.
The premise here is that the sheer volume and repetition of warnings to watch are a proxy for the critical importance of doing so. If Jesus said it over and over again with obvious concern and emphasis, it must be something he wants us to do for our own well being.
I asked AI to count. After a couple of iterations with it steering and answering questions I wasn't asking, it honed in on my relatively simple, albeit exhaustive request if a person was doing the scanning and counting.
Here is what it came up with. I will probably press ChatGPT to the point I can (try to) get a comparative count.
Here's the Google response:
***************
Jesus used direct commands to "watch" or "stay alert" at least 15 times across his major teachings on the end times, and he dedicated at least 5 major parables exclusively to this theme. [1, 2]
Looking at the frequency and concentration of these warnings provides a powerful proxy for just how seriously he treated this subject.
The Direct Commands to "Watch"
When counting the direct use of the Greek word gregoreuo (to stay awake, be vigilant, or watch) specifically in the context of his return, the frequency is highly concentrated in a few speeches: [3]
Matthew 24 & 25 (The Olivet Discourse): He gives the direct command to watch 3 times (Matthew 24:42, 24:43, and 25:13).
Mark 13 (The Markan Apocalypse): He repeats the command an intense 4 times in a single closing paragraph (Mark 13:33, 13:34, 13:35, and 13:37).
Luke 12 & 21: He issues the command 2 times (Luke 12:37 and Luke 21:36).
Revelation 3 & 16: Speaking as the risen Christ, he commands vigilance 2 more times (Revelation 3:3 and 16:15). [4, 5, 6, 7]
If you add his immediate synonymous warnings like "take heed," "be on guard," and "be ready" (blepo and hetoimos) within those same chapters, the count jumps by another 10 to 12 mentions. [8]
🎭 The 5 "Watchfulness" Parables
Beyond a simple word count, Jesus' heavy use of storytelling demonstrates the seriousness of this admonition. He told five distinct parables where the entire plot hinges on being caught asleep or unprepared for an unexpected arrival:
[1, 2]
The Doorkeeper / Watching Servants (Mark 13:34-37) – A master goes on a journey and leaves the doorkeeper with a strict command to stay awake because he could return at any hour. [1, 4]
The Thief in the Night (Matthew 24:43 / Luke 12:39) – A homeowner who would have stayed awake and watched had he known what time the burglar was coming. [1, 4]
The Wise and Wicked Servants (Matthew 24:45-51) – A servant who stops watching because his master is "delayed" and falls into continuous self-indulgence. [1, 4]
The Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) – Five bridesmaids are locked out of the wedding feast forever because they did not bring enough oil to keep their lamps burning through a long night of watching. [1, 4]
The Master Returning from the Wedding (Luke 12:35-38) – Servants keeping their lamps burning late into the night so they can immediately open the door when the master knocks. [4]
⚖️ The Takeaway on Importance [9]
From a purely structural perspective, Jesus spoke about watching for his return more than almost any other specific behavioral command regarding the future. The sheer frequency proves that, to Jesus, "watching" was not a passive observation of the sky, but an active, daily discipline of spiritual readiness and faithful duty. [1, 10, 11]
Are you focusing on the text of a specific Gospel for your summary, or are you looking at the overarching theology of his return?
(I answered "overarching theology" and repetition as a proxy for the critical importance of obedience.)
*****************
The sheer frequency of Jesus' return in the New Testament—appearing on average once every 30 verses—serves as the ultimate theological proxy for the critical urgency of His warnings. [1]
When you shift from isolated word counts to overarching theology, the sheer volume of material dedicated to "watching" reveals that this was not a minor ethical suggestion. It was a foundational pillar of His teaching.
The Frequency as a Proxy for Importance [1]
Scholars emphasize that the sheer quantity of references to the Second Coming proves its weight in the divine economy: [2, 3, 4]
Dominant Theme:
Outside of personal salvation, the return of Christ is the most heavily discussed subject in the New Testament.
Overwhelming Ratio: References to the Second Coming outnumber prophecies about His First Coming by a factor of roughly 8 to 1.
Constant Presence: Of the 260 chapters in the New Testament, there are over 300 references to His return. That is a constant, recurring drumbeat across almost every single book. [2, 3, 4, 5]
🏛️ The Overarching Theology of "The Watch"
In Jesus' theology, "watching" (gregoreuo) goes far beyond sitting around and looking at the sky. It carries a heavy, multi-layered theological meaning:
Continuous Readiness: Because the timing is deliberately hidden (even from the Son during His earthly ministry), the only logical posture for a believer is permanent, uninterrupted readiness.
Active Stewardship: In His parables, those who are "watching" are always busy working. To Jesus, watching means actively performing the Master's will so that whenever He knocks, He finds His servants doing exactly what they were assigned. [6, 7, 8]
Spiritual Sobriety: The opposite of watching in the New Testament is sleeping, getting drunk, or falling into self-indulgence (as seen in the Parable of the Wicked Servant). Watching is the guardrail against spiritual drift.
⚠️ The Gravity of the Warning
The intense repetition of these warnings served as a direct proxy for the risk involved. Jesus' tone in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) is intensely sober.
He repeats the command to "watch" and "take heed" because the default human condition is to get distracted, grow complacent, and assume that the Master's return is infinitely delayed. [4, 9, 10]
***************
I thought this was a wonderful summary, providing context and capturing the spiritual gravity surrounding the numerous admonitions to watch.
Our society consistently encourages us to ignore these warnings whether by distraction, ridicule or re-framing the plain meaning of the words.
Regardless of our beliefs, most would agree that our systems, society and world are unraveling at a pace that is astonishing. The parallels to the biblical descriptions of the latter days are hard to ignore.
Jesus was clear...and spoke with an unrelenting urgency.
Is the world unwittingly finally also telling us we should Watch and likewise revealing the urgency?
What do you think?
Watch...
Revelation 3: 2-3
2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God."
3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you."
