We assume that when you inject a vaccine‚ it’s not going to hurt you. We also assume it’s going to give you immunity.  Neither of those is true. Vaccine injury‚ from all […]

There needed to be a major review of processes and actions taken to resolve any gaps Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to inform his own deputy and even President Joe Biden that he had been hospitalized and could not perform his duties for an extended period of time revealed the systematic incompetence of the entire Biden administration‚ former US defense officials told Sputnik. Austin underwent an initial medical procedure on December 22 and then suffered severe pain on January 1 after which he was admitted to intensive care at Walter Reed military hospital in Maryland. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks assumed some of Austin’s duties on January 2‚ but she had no idea what had happened to him at that time. Hicks was only informed of his hospitalization on January 4. The White House was also kept in the dark for four days about Austin’s condition. Air Force General C. Q. Brown‚ chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff‚ was told on January 2 that Austin was hospitalized. But‚ for some reason‚ he failed to inform the White House‚ leaving the Defense Department leaderless while war raged in both Ukraine and between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. Incompetence on All Levels Retired CIA analyst Philip Giraldi‚ founder and chair of the Council for the National Interest‚ said the chaos‚ disorganization and incompetence extended well beyond Biden and Austin personally but throughout their entire administration.”The lack of competency … as far as I am concerned‚ extends throughout the entire Biden administration inner circle. We are in for a rough 2024!” Giraldi said.Survival Shield X-2 is now 25% OFF! Treat your body with super high-quality nascent iodine &; enjoy one of nature's greatest essentials! Retired Pentagon analyst Chuck Spinney further noted that Deputy Defense Secretary Hicks had no scientific or engineering background‚ or the kind of military management that the Defense Department always needed. “Hicks … has a PhD in political science‚ but no history of real scientific and engineering training and no experience in managing the subtle‚ technologically intensive‚ bureaucratically complex infighting strategies of the Pentagon’s bureaucracy – with its many hidden as well as obvious nodes of independent interests and informal power sharing relations‚” Spinney said. Because Hicks lacked so much necessary experience and expertise‚ putting her in charge‚ even if only temporarily‚ could have generated even more chaos and confusion in the US military establishment‚ Spinney said. “Now ask yourself the question: Which would you prefer: Keeping an ineffectual Secretary of Defense’s incapacitating illness secret or putting a more incompetent Deputy Secretary of Defense with an ambitious penchant for pushing hair-brained techno visions in charge of a Pentagon that is already clearly out of control?” Spinney asked. Biden might be better advised to leave the ailing Austin in titular charge of the US armed forces from his hospital bed rather than hand over leadership and control‚ even if only temporarily‚ to Hicks‚ Spinney said. “Perhaps‚ like the White House‚ the lesser of two evils is to let the Pentagon run on autopilot instead of invoking the line of temporary succession‚” Spinney added. Former Assistant Defense Secretary for International Security Affairs Chas Freeman‚ who served in that post during the Clinton administration‚ agreed that the scandal revealed the incompetence of Austin and his inner circle. Asked whether this was an instance of their lack of capability to perform competently and responsibly‚ he asnwered‚ “You got it.” Scandal During Time of Great Danger &; Instability Retired US Army Lt. Col. Earl Rasmussen‚ an international consultant and former vice president of the Eurasia Foundation‚ observed that the scandal had broken and embarrassed Biden and Austin at a time of great danger and instability in global affairs. “[It is an] interesting and awkward situation. Especially in light of the complex global environment that we are heavily involved in‚” Rasmussen said. Many questions still remained to be answered‚ Rasmussen said. “What was the procedure? What caused an emergency situation and subsequent admission to the hospital? Who was informed and at what level? What actions were in place to ensure Secretary Austin’s duties were being performed?” Rasmussen asked. Typically‚ one would think that Hicks would have been informed prior to any type of procedure or absence‚ Rasmussen noted. “In an emergency situation‚ such as what subsequently occurred‚ one would assume that either the Secretary or the Deputy Secretary would have at a minimum notified the President’s Chief of Staff and potentially other principles. … We still are left wondering about the transparency within this administration‚” he said. Both Austin and Hicks bore responsibility for the ignorance‚ lack of communication and chaos caused by the Defense Secretary’s unacknowledged extended absence‚ Rasmussen said. “Is Secretary Austin responsible for the apparent lapse? Ultimately‚ yes. However‚ depending on the urgency of the situation‚ one could understand why he may have not been able to react accordingly. In that case‚ the Deputy Secretary had that responsibility and‚ one would assume‚ was in constant contact with the Secretary‚ health care providers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as well as the White House‚” Rasmussen also said. There needed to be a major review of processes and actions taken to resolve any gaps‚ Rasmussen added. On Monday‚ the US Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed acknowledged in an official statement that the incident was a serious one and he called for transparency and accountability in the Defense Department. The NWO’s 2024 Black Swan Tell

4-month-old left outside random D.C. house after thieves steal idling SUV A 4-month-old baby was dropped off outside a random home in Washington D.C. after thieves stole the car in which she was sitting over the weekend‚ authorities say. The harrowing incident unfolded just after 6 p.m. on Friday evening in Georgetown‚ an upscale neighborhood in the nation’s capital.  The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) received a 911 call from a woman saying her Jeep SUV had been stolen after she left it idling with her child inside. *URGENT* MPD is searching for a stolen auto with a female 4-month-old inside. The vehicle is a white Jeep SUV with a missing gas cap door. The baby was wearing a pink snow suit. The vehicle was taken from the 3000 block of M Street‚ NW‚ at approximately 6:03 PM.— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 5‚ 2024 MPD reportedly made immediate preparations to launch a full-scale search that included air support.URGENT! Keep Alex Jones in the fight against the NWO! Please pray &; contribute at DefendJones.com today! However‚ approximately an hour later‚ an MPD officer was flagged down on Pennsylvania Avenue by a person reporting that a baby in a car seat had been found on a porch outside a nearby home.  The 4-month old was located safely.— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 6‚ 2024 The child was not injured and was reunited with her family‚ an MPD spokesman explained at a press conference.  The vehicle remained missing as of Saturday‚ according to the latest available updates.  MPD recorded 126 motor vehicle thefts through the first eight days of 2024‚ down slightly from 139 during the same period last year. In 2023‚ 6‚829 motor vehicle thefts were recorded in the nation’s capital‚ an increase of 82% from 2022. InfoWars has been documenting the surge of crime across the United States‚ including carjackings‚ ‘street takeovers‚’ smash-and-grab loot mobs‚ home invasions‚ and physical attacks on innocent victims. The NWO’s 2024 Black Swan Tell

About a quarter of people in developing countries and 40% of people in low-income countries will remain poorer in 2024 than they were before the emergence of COVID-19. Chief Economist Indermit Gill noted several challenges to global economic growth‚ but the Washington‚ DC-based financial institution is often seen as a tool of Western interests. The end of 2024 is likely to conclude the slowest half-decade of economic growth in 30 years‚ according to new analysis from the World Bank. The report‚ entitled “Global Economic Prospects‚” was released online by the Western financial institution Tuesday. A number of continued economic headwinds were identified by World Bank Group Senior Vice President Indermit Gill‚ including “tight monetary policies‚ restrictive credit conditions‚ and anemic global trade and investment.” The report also spotlighted the recent conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine – coercive Western sanctions on Russia have increased energy prices worldwide. “Global cooperation is critical to address the issues of high debt‚ climate change‚ trade fragmentation‚ and food insecurity and conflict‚” read an overview on the World Bank’s website. “Across emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs)‚ limited fiscal space highlights the need to improve spending efficiency. Decisive policy action is also needed to encourage a sustained acceleration in investment.”Save 40% on DNA Force Plus NOW! Try it today and see why so many listeners have made it an essential part of their daily routine! World economic growth is expected to slow for the third year in a row according to the report‚ down to 2.4% from 2.3% in 2023. This comes after a steep decline amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020‚ which was followed by a partial recovery in 2021. But the damage wrought by the global pandemic remains‚ according to the analysis. About a quarter of people in developing countries and 40% of people in low-income countries will remain poorer in 2024 than they were before the emergence of COVID-19. The World Bank predicted developing economies would face the greatest challenges. Latin America and the Caribbean would perform slightly better than average‚ with the most significant growth to come from the Middle East and Africa. North America‚ Europe‚ Central Asia‚ and the Asia-Pacific would see the greatest declines in growth according to the financial institution. “Near-term growth will remain weak‚ leaving many developing countries – especially the poorest – stuck in a trap: with paralyzing levels of debt and tenuous access to food for nearly one out of every three people‚” said Gill‚ who studied at the University of Chicago‚ a school famous for its advocacy of neoliberal economic policy around the globe. The World Bank has often been criticized for exactly that kind of free market evangelism. Observers suggest the institution’s advocacy of austerity and privatization actually prioritizes economic opportunity for transnational capital over genuine foreign development. The International Monetary Fund (IMF)‚ the World Bank’s sister institution‚ is often accused of predatory behavior in saddling developing countries with large amounts of debt‚ necessitating further privatization. Gill suggests he’s very much a champion of neoliberal economics in his forward to the World Bank’s report‚ which praises “consolidation of government finances” and “a better investment climate for private enterprise.” Every president of the World Bank since its creation in the 1940s has been an American citizen while its managing director has always been European (usually French or German). Critics say the institution’s leadership symbolizes its Western neocolonial role. A few years back‚ the World Bank was forced to recognize strong poverty reduction and economic growth in Bolivia‚ where socialist President Evo Morales succeeded by defying the kind of policy generally imposed by the IMF and World Bank. Bolivia has been recognized for presiding over the lowest inflation in the region and some of the lowest in the world with strongly interventionary government policy. Over the last decades‚ socialist China has played the largest role in global poverty reduction‚ pulling some 800 million people out of poverty. The NWO’s 2024 Black Swan Tell

by Martin Armstrong‚ Armstrong Economics: Ukrainian goods are flooding into the European Union through neighboring nations and undermining business. Poland-Ukraine relations have turned sour in recent months as both truckers and farmers from the former believe EU regulations are favoring Ukraine’s economy over their own. Truckers in Poland began blocking four ports of entry from […]

by Eric Zuesse‚ The Duran: This question gets to the heart of whether the Government is a democracy‚ or is instead a dictatorship. If the majority of people in a country say no to it‚ then almost by definition‚ that country is a dictatorship. America and its colonies (‘allies’) argue against countries that they want […]

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  Natural catastrophes often prove epochal‚ providing a structure to our collective sense of history and identity. It is telling that in the mid-fourth century‚ Ammianus Marcellinus was all too aware of the devastation wrought by the Antonine Plague in the second half of the second century: it “polluted everything with contagion and death‚ from the Persian frontiers to the Rhine and Gaul”.   This pestilence that wracked the Roman Empire was one of antiquity’s worst pandemics and it had a profound impact on the course of Roman history.   A Golden Age? The Roman Empire on the Eve of the Antonine Plague Bust of Marcus Aurelius (left)‚ possibly 166 CE‚ via Fondazione Torlonia; with portrait bust of Lucius Verus‚ 161-170 CE‚ via British Museum   On the eve of the Antonine Plague‚ few would have foreseen that the Roman Empire was about to face a reckoning. Stretching from the frontiers in northern Britain through to the Arabian Peninsula‚ the empire was at its apogee. Although not as expansive as it had been following Trajan’s conquests‚ it was in a period of sustained stability. The transfer of power from one emperor to another — for so long a competition fraught with intrigue and outright conflict — had been passed‚ rather benignly‚ from one nominated successor to the next. Even the accusations of interference that swirled around Hadrian’s succession did little to disrupt the prevailing political calm.   It was in this environment that Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus emerged. Childless‚ the emperor Antoninus Pius had adopted his nephews‚ Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus‚ to succeed him. When Antoninus Pius died in 161 CE‚ imperial power duly passed to Marcus and Lucius‚ with the former very much the senior‚ more experienced partner. There were signs from the start‚ however‚ that all was not right in the Roman world. Rome was wracked by a deadly flood in 161-2 CE‚ as the Tiber burst its banks‚ causing significant death and destruction in the city.   Further afield‚ trouble was also brewing on the empire’s eastern frontiers.   The Antonine Plague and the Roman-Parthian War Aureus of Lucius Verus‚ with reverse depiction of Verus mounted on a galloping horse brandishing javelin and trampling a defeated enemy‚ 165-166 CE‚ via British Museum   Shortly after the death of Antoninus Pius‚ the Parthian Empire made a move against Rome. Vologases IV‚ the king of Rome’s imperial rivals in the east‚ marched into Armenia in late 161 CE and expelled the Roman client king. The attempt at immediate Roman retribution was a disaster. The governor‚ Marcus Sedatius Severianus‚ led his army into a trap in which it was massacred (though not before the governor had killed himself). Lucius Verus was dispatched eastward at the head of an army to restore Rome’s authority. In 163 CE‚ the Roman forces drove deep into Armenian territory‚ recapturing the capital‚ Artaxata‚ for which Verus was emblazoned with the title Armeniacus (‘conqueror of Armenia’).   At the same time‚ however‚ the Parthians countered. This time they launched a campaign against Osroene‚ one of Rome’s client kingdoms in Mesopotamia. Two Roman armies were duly dispatched to restore Roman control. By 165 CE‚ the first army had re-taken the Osroene capital of Edessa and re-instated the former king. The second army‚ led by the future rebel Avidius Cassius‚ advanced down the Euphrates River into Parthian territory‚ eventually sacking the city of Ctesiphon and compelling the citizens of Seleucia to open their gates to the invaders.   Relief from the so-called Parthian Monument at Ephesus showing the apotheosis of Lucius Verus‚ his chariot reins held by the goddess of Victory‚ Nike‚ via Kunst Historisches Museum‚ Wien   Any Roman exultation at their successes was short-lived. Despite their victories‚ Cassius’ army was deep inside enemy territory and the depredations of war and beginning to feel the strain. Worse was to follow. Soon‚ the Roman forces were wracked by an unknown and devastating pestilence. Whatever this sickness was‚ it stuck to the Roman forces and traveled back up the Euphrates with them‚ infecting more and more people. In the years that followed‚ the sickness was likely responsible for the sudden death of an emperor. Traveling back to the Danubian frontier where Marcus had been campaigning‚ Lucius Verus suddenly fell ill and died. Although some sources attribute his death to an attack of ‘apoplexy’‚ the emperor was quite possibly a victim of the devastating sickness that his soldiers had carried back to the empire with them from the scene of his greatest triumph.   What Was the Antonine Plague? Plague in an Ancient City‚ Michael Sweerts‚ ca. 1650-1652 via Los Angeles County Museum of Art   When looking through the annals of Roman history‚ pestilence and plague are most commonly attributed to the anger of the gods. According to Livy‚ as early as 399 BCE‚ the Romans had introduced a ceremony (the lectisternium) to appease the gods‚ with the fledgling city the victim of an oppressive pestilence. The Antonine Plague was also attributed to divine retribution. The Historia Augusta (always to be used with caution…) claims that the illness was a punishment for Cassius’ sack of Seleucia‚ which had willingly opened its gates to the Romans. Notably‚ this was also the story echoed by Ammianus Marcellinus some centuries later‚ indicating the longevity of the tradition of divine wrath.   La Peste d’Asdod (The Plague of Ashdod)‚ 1630-1631‚ via Musee du Louvre   The origins of the plague remain as much a mystery as the question of what the disease actually was. Of course‚ ancient epidemiology is a difficult task‚ with the absence of available evidence making the identification of millennia-old pathogens a particular challenge. The prevailing theory among historians‚ however‚ is that the Antonine plague was an outbreak of smallpox. Because this disease offers some immunity to survivors‚ this may explain why‚ after the initial peak of the Plague during Marcus’ reign‚ there was a brief interlude before the re-emergence of the pestilence during Commodus’ reign several years later. The mortality of the disease‚ whether smallpox or another contagion‚ had a profound impact across the empire. Diverse sources‚ brought together‚ allow historians to understand these impacts. In Egypt‚ in particular‚ the valuable testimony of papyrological evidence presents a bleak view of life during the Antonine Plague‚ including reductions in leases of farmland and reduced numbers of taxpayers. An overall reduction in evidence of typical imperial administration — the bureaucracy of power — also indicates a significant disruption (and probable population reduction)‚ during this time.   Rome’s Most Famous Doctor: Galen and the Antonine Plague Galen‚ by G. P. Busch‚ -1756‚ via Wellcome Collection     For other plagues in the ancient world‚ historians are lucky to have access to substantial narratives of the devastation wrought by these diseases. Centuries before the Antonine Plague‚ for instance‚ the Greek historian Thucydides presented a graphic account of the carnage that engulfed Athens during a plague‚ likewise during that city’s golden age. Unfortunately‚ no such narrative exists for the Antonine Plague (in fact‚ there is a striking absence of contemporary historiography for this period full stop). However‚ one of the most valuable sources for the plague‚ its symptoms and its effects‚ fortunately‚ comes from one of the ancient world’s most celebrated physicians: Galen. In fact‚ such is the association of the doctor with this pandemic‚ that it is sometimes referred to as the Plague of Galen (the doctor has usurped the emperors!)   Born in around 129 CE in Pergamon‚ Asia Minor‚ Galen arrived in Rome in 162 and quickly gained prominence among society. He eventually became the emperors’ physician‚ serving not only Marcus and Lucius‚ but also Commodus‚ and later Septimius Severus and Caracalla‚ indicating that Galen was evidently held in such high regard so as to avoid the internecine civil war of the early 190s CE.   Aristide Dumont‚ Galen‚ ca. 1810-1819‚ via Wellcome Collection   As an observer of the plague‚ Galen is‚ unfortunately‚ scattered and rather brief. However‚ it is through his writings that the clearest impression of the disease and its symptoms come to light. These included fever‚ vomiting‚ ulcers‚ and catarrh‚ giving some indication as to the way the population of the empire suffered during the plague years. The plague also afflicted Galen’s household‚ causing the death of a number of his slaves. Certain snippets of Galen’s writing also support the identification of the disease as smallpox. The ancient doctor noted when he was traveling with the imperial household at Aquileia in 168-9 CE that the impact of the plague coupled with the harsh winter months was doubly deadly; harsh winters are known to be especially beneficial to the spread of smallpox thanks to more modern outbreaks of the pestilence.   Rome‚ China‚ and the Antonine Plague  Tomb panel with relief of figures in a pavilion‚ early 2nd century CE‚ via the Met Museum   Although travel was slower and more arduous‚ the ancient world was very much a connected world. Civilizations were connected by trade routes‚ one of the most important of which were the Silk Roads‚ linking Europe with Asia. Unfortunately‚ these routes also provided the means for diseases to travel‚ too. Describing the devastation wrought by the Plague of Athens‚ Thucydides described how it was commonly held that the sickness had arrived in the polis from overseas: “first of all from Ethiopia… and from there if fell on Egypt and Libya”‚ before arriving in the Piraeus‚ the Athenian port‚ and then ravaging the city itself.   There is a similar possibility that the plague that struck Rome during the Antonine period also originated in distant lands‚ further even than the lands of the Parthian Empire. During the middle of the second century‚ the Han Dynasty in China was also afflicted by a virulent plague. The ancient Chinese doctor‚ Ge Hong‚ described the symptoms of the sickness afflicting his homeland‚ and it has been argued by historians that Han China — like the Roman Empire — was being ravaged by smallpox. The Silk Roads would have connected China to the Parthian Empire‚ as well as Rome‚ meaning that the sickness may have originated in Central Asia before afflicting the two empires. Further supporting this hypothesis is the fact that‚ in around 166 CE‚ a delegation of people claiming to have been sent from Rome‚ arrived at the court of Emperor Huan. Archaeological evidence has indicated the connections between the two civilizations‚ particularly in terms of trade.   The Antonine Plague and the End of Rome’s Golden Age Silver Denarius featuring obverse portrait of Marcus Aurelius and reverse portrait of young Commodus‚ 175 CE‚ via Museu de Prehistòria de València   The Roman Empire would be devastated by plagues again in the future‚ including the Plague of Cyprian in the mid-third century and the Plague of Justinian in the sixth century. The ravages of the Antonine Plague left deep scars on the imperial psyche‚ however‚ as we saw with Ammianus’ recollection of the pestilence.  Worse still‚ the death of the emperor Lucius Verus was not the end of the empire’s suffering under the sway of the Antonine plague. Although the pandemic waned in severity for several years‚ it returned with a vengeance in the 180s‚ reaching a devastating crescendo in around 189 CE. The return of the pestilence to Rome is dramatically described by Cassius Dio‚ the senatorial historian. An eye-witness to the reigns of emperors from Marcus Aurelius to Severus Alexander‚ Dio was in Rome when the imperial capital was again struck by the pestilence. He describes an outbreak of a disease more deadly than any of which he knew‚ with two thousand people dying in a single day in Rome!   Portrait bust of Commodus‚ 185-90 CE‚ via the British Museum‚ London   Worse than the disease‚ however‚ according to Dio at least‚ was the empire’s fate in having to endure the depraved reign of Commodus. The son of Marcus Aurelius had taken control of the empire in 180 CE and slowly sunk into megalomania‚ including masquerading as a gladiator in the arena and likening himself to Hercules! Cassius Dio’s history had pithily remarked that with the transition from Marcus’ reign to that of his son‚ the empire itself had passed from an age of gold to one of iron and rust.   Commodus could not be blamed for the ravages of the pestilence‚ but it was the Antonine Plague that had terrorized his father’s reign and certainly took the luster of Roman power in the later decades of the second century‚ helping to bring the curtain down on Rome’s Golden Age.