The Weekly Watch
Out With the Old, In With the New
The years seem to fly by, and this one is no exception. However this may be a seminal year, and next year points to a major shift in world power and alliances. Will the future bode better or worse? We will see. What do you see as the big stories of the year, and the likelihood of our collective future? I make my prognostications below the fold and hope you'll add yours in the comments. No matter our views, I wish us all the happiest of the new year!
To my mind, the (fake) narrative or story is the theme of the year. The collective west ignores reality to spin their narrative which the world MUST accept. The Russiagate narrative became the message of the western MSM for the last few years. So, TPTB managed to create a Russia/Putin hate fest with false narratives of election hacking, evil doing, and ill legitimate invasions. So Putin bad, Russia bad, Ukraine good, US great... we spread democracy (when in reality we spread war), and on and on. Spin the story to fit the narrative. Ukraine is beating Russia on the battlefield, and Russia blew up its own pipeline, kind of nonsense. Repeat constantly on the MSM megaphone until people believe the false narrative. Hey, it works.
So what were the real stories that shaped 2022. I think the pivotal event of the year is the Russian SMO in Ukraine. The west (about 12% of the world's population) has alienated itself from the other 88% and new alliances have developed, shaping what may become a new "fair" world order. But what's the narrative? The World is united in support of Ukraine.
In case you know anyone who still thinks Russia was unprovoked, ask them to consider Merkel's, Hollande's, and Poroshenko's admission that the purpose of the Minsk agreement was to buy time for building Ukraine's military to confront Russia. I find it ironic that they admit to their deception. It might play well in the west, but not to the rest of the world.
Just like the US stealing Russia's foreign assets (as well as Venezuela's and Afghanistan's) we lost what little trust and respect we had in the international community. There's a reason Saudi Arabia is aligning with Russia and China. Similarly, the over bearing sanctions we try to impose on Russia have come back on the collective west bringing Europe to the edge of collapse. Here again the false narrative is that Russia's economy is in tatters as Ursula von der Lying repeatedly tells us.
Not to mention blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines, which the MSM silenced Jeffry Sachs for admitting, saying the rest of the world is fully aware that the US was involved. As a result of a lack of energy, Europe is being forced to deindustrialize and send their manufacturing elsewhere like the US, India, and SE Asia.
So why promote a war which is being lost by the collective west? Because it is a giant grift and lots of money is being made. It is surprising that Biden's history in Ukraine has been ignored much like Hunter's no show oil board gig and his laptop contents. The FTX scandal reveals some of the corruption. US sends money to Ukraine, Ukraine invests the money in FTX and suddenly about $40 million is donated to mainly democrats. Not to mention the MIC profits here in the US.
And in case NATOstan's proxy war with Russia isn't enough, let's provoke a conflict with China too. Talk about doubling down on stupid.
Here's an intriguing conversation about 2022...
Gonzalo Lira with Brian Berletic
Guests are:
4:36 — Garland Nixon
58:23 — Alex Christoforou
1:03:47 — Ian Miles Cheong
1:59:10 — History Legends
1:59:10 — Larry Johnson
2:25:30 — Mark Sleboda
3:09:54 — Alex Stein
And another excellent discussion about the incompetence of the real rulers of America, the CIA.
Why Western Intelligence Fails, with Larry Johnson and John Kiriakou
Lack Of Good Analyses Contributes To The Decline Of The 'West'
No one understands the web of lies better than Whitney Webb.
Journalist Whitney Webb sits down with Clayton Morris for a dense conversation about her bombshell new book on Jeffrey Epstein's deep connections to the world's biggest power players. She exposes the deep corruption and cover up at the heart of the western power structure.
NATO-supported mercenary Andrew Milburn recently got drunk and went on a podcast to reveal that Ukraine is a hopelessly corrupt nation and that the Ukrainian military commits atrocities, often executing captured Russian soldiers on camera. Nevertheless, he says, NATO needs to continue supporting this hopelessly corrupt country as a means of deterring Russia. Jimmy and Max cover the story.
Why is the US willing to risk a nuclear apocalypse to weaken Russia and China? Our leaders say it’s about protecting the international rules based order from an authoritarian axis of evil. But this is just a guise. It’s actually about maintaining US unipolar hegemony over the world, which requires preventing or at the very least delaying the integration of Europe and Asia, an integration that is logical, both economically and geographically.
Will US Aggression Stop Eurasian Integration or Accelerate It? Vijay Prashad
Bob Scheer recounts the years top ten stories.
The twitter files have confirmed what most of us suspected, that the three letter agencies are enforcing the approved message...canceling those who commit thought crimes. Cancel culture has been on steroids this year.
FBI Cointelpro Is Back and Worse Than Ever
The Twitter Files prove that G-men have been off the leash for years. We still have no idea how far the FBI and other federal agencies have gone to suppress our freedom of speech. Until federal abuses are fully exposed, Americans would be damn fools to believe their constitutional rights are safe.
One of the mostly-overlooked items in the blockbuster Twitter Files info dump is the revelation that a secret meeting took place at the Aspen Institute prior to the 2020 election during which agents of the U.S. Government instructed highly-placed members of the media establishment to delay, obfuscate and mislead about the Hunter Biden laptop story, clearly in an effort to affect the presidential election’s outcome. Jimmy and Max discuss the story.
Thanks to the recent Twitter Files revelations, Stanford Professor Jay Bhattacharya discovered his suspicions – that he had been shadow banned and otherwise sidelined on the platform – were true. In this interview with Jimmy Dore, Dr. Bhattacharya discusses the experience of being a scientist and academic thrust into the midst of a fiercely political debate over public policy where private interests and government censorship take precedence over science.
Jimmy and Stanford School of Medicine Professor Jay Bhattacharya discuss Gates’ influence over the COVID debate and his application of substantial sums of money to influence public policy to his own advantage.
Hope for the Future?
Off the top of my head I thought 2023 was a prime number, but looking deeper it isn't...
2023 - is not a Prime Number because it has 6 factors: 1, 7, 17, 119, 289, 2023
So what does 2023 hold for us? An economic crash? More conflict and war? Continued degradation of the west, and a building unity in the rest of the world? Continued weather weirding? Those would be my guesses.
However, my hope is that if bad times come, perhaps we will ban together in supportive communities. There are many models of what we could become. Market gardens in every neighborhood and regenerative ranches in every community could provide high quality food security.
Jim Kovaleski and Tanner Johnson have teamed up and are ramping up the production! There are some new Farm additions such as, vermicomposting, chickens and a walk-in cooler! Jim also shares why it was the worst sweet potato harvest ever! (our was poor too) (40 min)
Can you imagine a market garden like this in your neighborhood?
Combine the market gardeners with homesteaders for additional production...
We are back at Justin Rhodes' Homestead outside of Asheville, NC! It's been two years since we've been here and a lot has changed! His Family is growing- as well as the green pastures and livestock! Enjoy this updated Tour with Justin Rhodes and Family! (46 min)
Justin's homestead is modeled after Joel Salatin's farm.
Greg Judy in Missouri is a master grazier. His animals even in the dead of winter look fat and happy despite last summers drought and the lack of winter forage stockpile. He also grows mushrooms, raises guardian dogs for sheep, sells ATV hay unrollers, and trains lots of interns. Any community would benefit from producers like Greg or Joel.
There are organizations encouraging regenerative agriculture like: https://regenagri.org/, https://findfoodforhumans.com/ , and https://www.regenerativefarmersofamerica.com/regenerative-farm-near-me
We're fortunate to have local farmers we can support. We grow most of our vegetables (we even babied collards and cabbage through three days of single digits), and buy meat from local producers. Yes, it is more expensive, but so much better for you and the environment. Plus, your money is going into your community.
So, I still have hope in what seems from a western perspective pretty dim prospects in broken system run by oligarchs and incompetent agencies (listen above to Larry and John as they explain why they're so incompetent). The hope is in the East and Global South. They are aware of US graft and theft. So they are banning together with the BRICS+ system and side stepping US domination and control. They want to build and cooperate. We want to prevent that alliance. The hope lies with the builders, not the destroyers.
We live in interesting times as empires collapse and new power is rising. As I often say treasure every day because the years just fly by and you'll miss it if you don't value your time. Time is our greatest gift. Happy 2023!
"Where the years went I can't say,
I just turned around and they've gone away."
Kate Wolf
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Kn3j7o2yY]
Comments
Feliz Anyo Nuevo
The big story in '22 was the NATO / west aggression against Russia in Ukraine.
I think the big story in'23 will be the rise of the east and south around BRICS.
Hope the new year will inspire new ideas and creative solutions to old failing ways.
Thanks for the watch!
What QMS said
Ditto for me.
Good morning and Happy New Year , Lookout and all our members.
The New Years attacks in Ukraine seem to have hit their marks. Air defense system locations are identified by dummy missiles and then destroyed by actual missiles, if I am understanding correctly.
Of course Ukraine has taken all the missiles down, with canned tomatoes, if you believe the psycho twerp.
Ukraine has been shutting down power systems to protect them from Russian attack.
This method has its own risks:
"But there are certain advantages to the Russian side in preventive shutdowns. Any shutdown of high-voltage line and equipment is not an easy process. Such measures lead to a reduction in the technological lifetime and service life of equipment due to transients.
Since not all alarms end up hitting energy facilities, preventive shutdowns are themselves a source of damage to the power system - albeit not as pronounced. Nor is the negative effect on the economy going anywhere."
From Zornkreiger's Telegram channel
NYCVG
not to mention...
Ukraine is shooting down 20 out of every 16 missiles Russia fires according to the Ukranazis.
As to the air defense targeting, using dummies to locate them is my understanding as well.
Hope all is well in your world and you're warm and comfy.
We're having a heat wave after last weekend's single digits...headed to 70F today.
Take care and be well. Heard or read something this week about NYC crime...sounds scary, but unsure how accurate the report was. Stories tend to be sensationalized in order to gain clicks.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
I see your point
but NYC crime stats are massaged in the other direction.
"Shootings are down this week," fails to mention the upsurge in knife attacks, for example.
NYC looks nothing like it did a few years ago and even the powerful media are beginning to admit it. Storefronts are vacant, and most office buildings remain more than half empty.
A Closed Street project to celebrate Fifth Avenue and its Xmas windows worked only so long as you kept your gaze at eye level. The happy tourists looking at the 30 Rockefeller Tree and the Saks Fifth Avenue windows could be fooled until they looked at the boarded up stores and empty eyes of the office towers.
The NY Times has a long piece about the changes here and I will search for it and post it if I can find it again.
It is 50 degrees and sunny and I still have just enough eyesight to walk around my neighborhood, which is how I spent a delightful morning.
NYCVG
signs of empire collapse are all around us...
...even here in the boonies. I think I mentioned our little town's glove manufacturing shut down. However, an insulation company bought one of the old glove facilities, and another building also sold, but have not heard what will happen to it.
Stay safe and be careful!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
My take too...
We can't be defeatist about all the manipulation and control exerted by TPTB. We (to my mind) should be pro-active, creating our own collective means of production and mutual reliance.
I used to advise school systems and one analogy I used is to think about your community as a refrigerator. Every school community has unique resources. So just like perusing your pantry and refrigerator in order to prepare a meal, you inventory your community resources to best design school programs to fit the communities and students needs.
Not many schools had leadership open to such ideas, nor teachers with enough energy to design and create individualized learning organizations.
We as individuals may not have much choice as the empire crumbles.
Happy New Year!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
A heartwarming New Year's message
From Doctor Dr. McHonk-Honk (sorry, I don't know how to embed tweets - click on the link below to view)
View on Twitter
pretty amusing...
Dr John presented some interesting data...
Swine flu vaccine (1976), 1 serious event per 100,000 vaccines, Vaccine withdrawn
Rotavirus vaccine Rotashield, (1999),1 to 2 serious events per 10,000 vaccines, Vaccine withdrawn
Covid mRNA vaccines, 1 serious event per 800 vaccines, Vaccine officially promoted
Serious adverse events of special interest following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in randomized trials in adults...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36055877/
I think this may become a big story in 2023. I hope so.
I spoke to the Ukraine situation in today's WW.
I do love the tune and words by Robbie Burns...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPnhaGWBnys]
Thanks for the tweet and visit. Happy new year!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
My guess is --
that at some late point the capitalist system will collapse, and be replaced by some form of military rule. The earlier pattern was that when systems collapse, what remained were those institutions with guarantees, and thus when the Roman Empire collapsed in the West, what survived were the monasteries, the monarchies of the invaders being unstable (and here I would recommend Gregory of Tours' History of the Franks for more details). Well, the Armed Forces are America's closest thing to an institution with guarantees.
So at any rate, at some late point the capitalist system will collapse. And all America will ask, "WHAT? CAPITALISM ISN'T PERMANENT?" And it will become obvious to all that, over the past who-knows-hou-long of ridiculous non-solutions to economic crisis being foisted upon the people, resulting in crisis upon crisis, that, no, capitalism isn't permanent.
Here's a goal for the new year: let's try to avoid being surprised.
"the Democratic Party is not 'left'." -- Sabrina Salvati
I suspect you are correct...
My guess is that as the petrodollar disappears, western capitalism will fade with the USD supremacy...
especially considering our hollowed out manufacturing sector.
Happy new year anyway!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
This calls for
a favorite…
[video:https://youtu.be/jeYCyCaK_5k width:500 height:400]
“Gold is the reason / For the wars we wage…”
Happy new year!
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
It is difficult to play bare handed in the cold...
like that. Never played in the snow like that, but I have played music in the cold. Hard on the instruments as well as the hands.
Thanks for the clip and the visit!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
No kidding.
Played an outdoor gig in the snow, once. Once. 2 sets, 28degF. Talk about sore fingers… The horn section had it worse, though. The bone player had his slide freeze up. Not a fan.
Legend has it that the horsemen in that video were actually a group of 4 teenage girls, because the band members all developed hypothermia and noped out. I’d have been right there with them.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
I would have noped out too
...from the start, but it was very theatrical. Plus 2.6 million views.
Thanks again.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Plus ca change plus ca meme chose
from horseback with flags to the massive hunk of machinery across the snow...
Perfect and moving song and images. Thank you.
Bono then and now showing up for Ukraine, yuck
Not all of us change that much as we age.
NYCVG
Happy New Year everyone
thanks for the WW, LO.
But I'm taking a pass on the news today!!
From the automatic earth
https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2023/01/debt-rattle-january-1-2023/
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
That's right!
Reminds me of "Awakenings" and "Flowers for Algernon"...brief moments of clarity.
Thanks for the autoearth too.
Got a kick out of this...
Have a happy new years day!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Jim Kunstler
has agreed with your vision of local food and manufacturing production, Lookout, for a long time. And in his 2023 Forecast, he talks about it. Here are a few excerpts.
Another Kunstler fan here
but his comment section is full of demented ignoramuses.
I read Kunstler's essays on Mondays and Fridays and leave the rest.
NYCVG
Excellent essay...
I agree with his analysis. Thanks for the link and the Kunstler reminder.
Have a great new year day!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
I enjoy Kunstler too
Has anyone seen his essay on his town and how a great area has been absolutely gutted? There are towns like this all over the country thanks to companies offshoring their businesses elsewhere just so the fat cats can have more money.
https://kunstler.com/my-town/a-winter-tour-of-the-hidden-corners-of-a-li...
People’s lives were devastated after showing up one day and being told that their jobs were no longer available. Plus our education system has been hollowed out and lots of companies have to hire people from countries that value education to do our jobs. Biden and the pentagon have been promising Zelensky lots of new toys for war, but they will take years to build and deliver because our defense companies aren’t geared to fighting the type of war that Russia is doing. Russia however has not and will not run out of weapons anytime soon. Just what are we getting for the $840 billion that congress is spending on war this year? Not much bang for the buck that’s for sure. But congress surely will be getting lots of kickbacks from authorizing the billions!
Good NEWS! When congress returns to session this month Nancy Pelosi D- money bags from CA will no longer be in charge of the house.
Nancy Pelosi is stepping down as US House speaker, and few will miss her
I will not miss the old bat. I was expecting her to hold Bush/Cheney accountable for their war crimes, but she dashed that hope and said that impeachment is off the table. She even flubbed the 2 Trump impeachments for only focusing on silly things during the first one and waiting so long to impeach him the second time without gathering any evidence. Can you say kabuki theater?
Kos of course will miss the big P and won’t be able to deliver 10,000 roses to her. Good lord…what a silly thing to do to make an ass out of oneself.
I’m hoping that we find out what really happened to Mr. P during the trial? Cops said that he opened the door and besides not running out of the house he waltzed back to the guy who presumably broke in. The reporter who reported on this was fired.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Oops my finger had a spasm.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Speaking of the false narrative promoted by the MSM....
It appears as if the North Koreans are running short of missles just like the Russians.
The sanctions are working as planned! /S
I'm a telegram illiterate...
...but I'm getting better at twitter.
Heard someone this week talking about Russia' missile manufacturing....sounds like an endless stream. Evidently Medvedev was tapped....
Putin creates new position for Medvedev, appointing him first Deputy Chairman of the Military-Industrial Commission
He telegramed his new year predictions this week...
which kinda sound like he's trolling the west.
Thanks for the story describing the narrative theme!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Despite what many think I find twitter to be a useful tool.
It can be used to make a point in an abbreviated way.
Of course there are many who spread bullshit but if you frequent trusted users it can be beneficial in spreading information.
Media can be good....or bad.
no different than books. (the printing press was a big deal in its day)
...but it isn't the media technology per se, but the way it is used. That's why I think the twitter files are an important reveal. Suppressing those that big brother doesn't like is a fact. We have hard evidence. Obviously on more platforms than twitter....facebag, tic tok, YT, and so on.
I appreciate you bringing tweets to C99, cause I don't follow. (ditto SD) Sharing info is the gift of this community.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Saw a tweet or comment to the effect
that a 2022 highlight for them was seeing Musk fire 7,000 Twitter employees with the result that the site worked *better*...
Gonna join up myself after resisting all these years.
Saw those NK photos
@#7...over on Chad O'Carroll's twitter page. Colin Zwirko has some tweets on it also. They are both NKNEWS writers. Chad is the founding editor over there. What I was looking for, however was something I saw briefly on a South Korean youtube channel I wasn't familiar with. Just reading the headline, they were citing a tweet written by O'Carroll that is warning that Yoon's retaliatory responses to North Korea's missile launches, drone reconnaissance intrusions on Monday, and the like are probably going to precipitate some sort of violent confrontation in which casualties (deaths) will be sustained in relatively small numbers within the next five months or sooner.
O'Carroll cited another tweet to the same effect from a different source concerning the unwise nature of a simple minded (my words not theirs) retaliatory/escalatory policy by the Yoon government. This is a tacit acknowledgement that the South Korean Yoon administration doesn't know what they are doing.
Perhaps I'm reading a little too much into it. I see substantial risks of inability to limit military and political reactions after such an incident in which blood is drawn, once it occurs. That requires a level of sophistication and restraint that neither Kim nor Yoon have demonstrated in the past. I question also whether this US administration is capable of any such restraint. National Assembly Member Kim Byung-chu (a former four star general and deputy CFC commander) whom I try to follow on OnMyNews youtube channel, basically said that Yoon was following a dangerous escalatory course. ( 김병주 “윤석열 ‘확전 각오’, 대통령이 해서는 안될 아주 위험한 말 )
Perhaps O'Carroll is trying to distinguish his private opinion from that of NKNews, in order to leave himself an out, when the situation goes awry. I prefer 38North.org. I'm not a big fan of Andrei Landrov either, he's too conservative. NKNews is sometimes difficult to distinguish from a propaganda operation. For example their opinion last week on the significance of the pardon of former President Lee Myung-bak in South Korea and a prominent Democratic Party politician is self serving western bs, impugning Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish NKNews from VOA Korea.
I also saw a tweet from NKNews, which asserted that South Korea did send reconnaissance drones near and across the the inter Korean boundary in the west in a tit for tat. A brief South Korean press report said that Yoon (as part of his hardliner image) suggested sending 2 or 3 times as many drones. Didn't see any further details.
Finished Patriots, Traitors and Empire over the holiday, a worthwhile read, thanks Humphrey.
語必忠信 行必正直
LOL
Good one!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Another interview with Scott Ritter.
Scott Ritter - Zelenski is Operating off a Hollywood Movie.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YEzQOPatCQ]
There's a reason his cabinet is made up of his TV show crew...
https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/fyi-not-only-is-zelensky-a-former-ac...
It is because it is all a puppet show...
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Lula officially is now running Brazil.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/01/01/695557/Brazil-President-Lula-sp...
Let's hope they give Lula a chance...
unlike last time when they unseated Dilma and imprisoned Lula.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Hope this Day 1
was a good one that portends well for the remaining days of 2023.
LO, I get this sick feeling the stories foisted upon us, such as Ukraine, COVID, North Korea nukes, and the fight over the new Speaker of the House are hiding the stories we need to hear to stay alive.
We are listening to music given to TLOML that we finally have a day or so at home to just see and hear what we enjoy. Mariachi, zydeco, blues, rock, country, Cuban...amazing music, and everything has been a wondrous surprise! Never heard of Madeleine Peyroux before. Or her album, "Careless Love". Let me type her name again to get it in my brain: Madeleine Peyroux.
I made the Hoppin' Johnny black eyed peas, chopped up the cabbage for cole slaw, and Dear One is grilling pork chops. If it brings us luck, I will let you all know!
Thanks for this WW, and everyone you have brought to us.
Great job, as is your way.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
sounds good...
We normally eat peas, greens and pork on NY, but I had a turkey pie left over from the Xmas turkey. Hope it is equally lucky.
Glad you had a nice music day! All the best.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Happy New Year
Lookout and all.
You are right;
I hope as Kunstler does, that;
Thanks for the OT Lookout. I've almost made it through the Whitney Webb interview. It's a good one.
Wishing you all the best in this new year of 2023.
Whitney is amazing...
holding all those names and connections in her head.
Thanks for coming by today!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
We keep being told that there are no Nazis in Ukraine.
signing out for the night...
Hope 2023 is a good one for us all!
See you tomorrow...
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Happy New Year Lookout and all
Thank you for your informative contributions. I have listened to the Whitney Webb interview and am duly impressed. I look forward to watching the gardening inspirations.
All the best for the future.
The best of the New Year to you!
Hope all is well in your world. It hit 70F today so we're having spring like weather after a frigid Christmas.
The young farmers give me hope for our collective future. I enjoyed this interview with a farming family...
Greg interviews a wonderful young family that is passionate about helping others get into regenerative agriculture. It certainly was a pleasure to spend time with this young family at our farm. You can certainly tell that these young kids are going to make productive citizens and be successful in life because their parents are engaged with their lives.
I would say the same is true of Justin Rhodes family in the homestead video above.
Have a great week!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Wonderful interview!
Forward to the Basics
https://www.forwardtothebasics.org/services-9