• HALLOWEEN, JUST A FEW WEEKS AWAY, has been celebrated in America for some ten decades with costumes reflecting the culture’s most popular personalities. Think back to when you or siblings or your kids Trick-n-Treated dressed in some manner like: In the 1950’s – a Cowboy, Tarzan, Mickey Mouse, Batman, Davy Crockett, Frankenstein or Zorro; the 1960s – Rocky or Bullwinkle, the Beatles, Sonny or Cher, Barbie, Adams family, or an Astronaut; the 1970s – Elvis, Willy Wonka, Marcia Brady, Richard Nixon, a Charlie’s Angel, StarWars character, or Rocky Balboa; 1980s – E.T., Michael Jackson, Indiana Jones, Madonna, Freddy Krueger, Beetlejuice, or a Ghostbuster; 1990s – Barney, Terminator, Power Ranger, Bart Simpson, Matrix’s Neo; 2000s – Harry Potter, Spiderman, Britney Spears, Sponge Bob or Darth Vader. In many cities, it was perform a Trick (or song or dance or joke) for getting a Treat; in others, it was give out a good Treat or else expect a Trick (like toilet paper in your trees, or egg against your door). [READERS DIGEST – 10/4/24]
  • NEWEST RESEARCH CONFIRMS THAT GENERATIONAL TRENDS evolve based on “common cultural experience, advances in technology, and behaviors after witnessing collective significant historical events (like space shuttles/ assassinations/ natural disasters/ wars), all of which then impact policy making – particularly around marketing, health care and retirement.” Year range that defines today’s generations are: SILENTS – born prior to end of WWII; BABY BOOMERS – subsequent 20 years to 1965; GEN X – another 20 years to 1980; MILLENIALS (Gen Y) – thru 1996; GEN Z – another 15 years thru 2012; and GEN ALPHA – 2013 on.  Some 73 million Millennials, now age 28 – 43, comprise one-in-five Americans, with fewer of all workers now saying they either plan to work past age 65 or not retire at all. Other interesting stats compiled from major surveys: [USA TODAY – 10/8/24]
  • IN RETROSPECT, HOW ‘SURPRISING’ THAT A “TERROR GROUP committed to demoralizing & paralyzing the U.S. and who previously had tried to topple the World Trade Center in a bombing, would then just a few years later hijack civilian planes to fly into the same twin towers? Such attack by a small force of the 70K tourists who visit Washington D.C. daily, or the millions of illegal immigrants who cross our borders each year (without vetting), should surprise no one, but would shock nearly everyone!   Or how surprising that a terrorist organization whose Charter defines their struggle to be against ‘the Jews,’ calling for eventual creation of an Islamic Palestinian state after the obliteration and dissolution of Israel, who then dispatched 1% of Gaza’s military-aged males to launch a devastating attack on unsuspecting concert goers?  Meanwhile increasing chants of ‘Death to Jews’ in the streets of Western capitals still surprise people when even one synagogue is attacked or groups shot. And when Iran and its satellites vow the complete destruction of Israel as currently launching missiles toward that objective, how many still claim ‘surprise’ when genocidal promises are happening in real time?  American cities’ water systems are vulnerable to mass poisoning; a handful of terrorist cells attacking enough schools/ shopping malls/ transit centers could likely shut down our entire economy in a matter of days; an electromagnetic pulse (EMT) could destroy our unprotected grid infrastructure and cripple the U.S.  Such attacks could be foreseen by just looking at capabilities, incentives and historical patterns of behavior.  History shows that it’s only a question of whether we’re willing to listen.”   [REAL CLEAR POLITICS – 10/7/24]
  • AN EXTRALEGAL IMMIGRATION SYSTEM HAS ALREADY ABUSED OUR SOVEREIGNTY by granting ‘parole status’ to millions of illegal immigrants, but could get much worse. Last June, without any statutory basis, Biden announced a ‘parole in place’ for spouses of any S. citizens – an extension of the 2020 Nat’l Defense Authorization Act, itself having extended Obama’s 2013 DACA (‘Dreamers’) program for purposes of benefiting spouse/children/parents of armed forces members, provided they entered the country legally).  In her momentary run for the 2020 presidential election, Harris propounded ‘Dream Amnesty’ to expand DACA provisions to any spouses of any U.S. citizens. A federal court injunction to stop that process is still pending – as to whether a President has power to grant unilateral amnesty – but, if upheld, means that a Harris presidency is likely to give mass amnesty to all illegal aliens. [WASHINGTON EXAMINER – 10/2/24]
  •                          THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:

 — Our Corporatist system is inevitably and by design headed toward socialism, where “bureaucracy partners with socialists to a common end: government control over the people, using taxed money to take over through academia, media, and corporations who are harassed then punished if they don’t toe the line. Beginning over a century ago in the Progressive era, an Act made bureaucrats independent of politicians, answering to nobody and thus becoming a self-serving occupying army. Today’s ‘Democratic’ governing system has effectively turned on the people, as every crisis enabled growth of the Deep State: world wars, Great Depression, even made up ‘crises’ like global warming and Covid. Today, there is essentially no institution in the country that has not been infiltrated by this toxic combination of government money and intimidation.”  https://x.com/profstonge/status/1844717083034050772

— Research microbiologists have found that toothbrushes and showerheads are loaded with an extremely diverse collection of viruses which target bacteria, most of which are not dangerous to humans, and which may be repurposed to clean pathogens out of plumbing systems. They suggest: (1) regularly replacing toothbrush heads; and (2) washing showerheads with plain soap & water, versus bleach, or just soaking in vinegar to remove calcium. The reason is that when microbes are attacked with disinfectants, the more they develop resistance for conversion to pathogen cleansing. https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/2024/10/viruses-are-teeming-on-your-toothbrush-showerhead/

— Increasing legitimacy in psychedelic experiences to produce ‘insight moments’ that feel intensely truthful & important – by overwhelming one’s cognitive capacities and challenging the authority of everyday experience – is not a guarantee of ‘Truth.’ https://iai.tv/articles/psychedelics-go-beyond-the-limits-of-truth-auid-2964?_auid=2020