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Before beginning this post, I would like to apologize again for the minimal output of content on this blog. There have been a couple of reasons why this output has declined. First, October is usually a busy month socially. Halloween is usually a chaotic time for the family. We often attend concerts, horror movie related events, apple-picking at farms, family and work-related vacations, and other cultural attractions which eat into personal time. Besides this, my beloved San Diego Padres went on a surprising playoff run which was completely unexpected. Enjoying these games with my recent discovery of quality whisky (More on this later) has been a soul affirming experience, but it also has destroyed many evenings. Finally, I have been suffering from a case of writer’s block. Usually, ideas just flow like a healthy, streaming river out of my confused but active brain. But over the past two months, my brain has resembled the emptiness of Homer Simpson’s. But because of an article that hit my inbox yesterday, my inspiration has returned. Starting with this blog, I am beginning another series of at least three blogs regarding alternative media platforms and the options available to counter the increasing amount of censorship occurring online with the Big Tech companies. Today’s blog will discuss the publishing platform Substack.
It is hard for the common person to believe that their life is being controlled by some form of propaganda. Human beings take solace in the fact that our actions and decisions in our daily lives are guided by our free will. The decision you make about what to buy at the grocery store, what politician to support, and who you choose to converse with on a personal level are based on your own internal code of morals and the human behaviors and personalities that you find most appealing. Because every human being lives a different experience in their life, this divergence creates different opinions about almost any societal topic. It is difficult to pinpoint any issue that every human being would agree is a universal truth. Even a subject like the murder of another human being, which almost every person on this planet would describe as an evil and punishable act, often happens because individuals become lost in their angry thoughts. So in this present day of social media and rampant, narcissistic individualism, it is difficult for most people to understand that many of the things which have occurred and changed our society over the past two plus years were planned by a collective group of organizations, corporations, and governments to fundamentally change the world and create a “Great Reset” (Their words) towards a new more centralized, technocratic, and authoritarian future implemented on a global scale. This war took decades to plan and began during the implementation of the COVID-19 lockdowns in March of 2020. Without diving into this incredibly complex topic, I have decided to discuss this problem in relation to subjects that I understand and find personally important, the impact these changes have had on the media. Besides my increased activism in reversing the propagandists who pose as professional “journalists”, there are other things I have begun doing to protect myself and my family from whatever world maybe coming in the future. I have been participating in anti-war movements (A passion of mine throughout my life) and anti-vaccine movements (More because of concern for my daughter and junior high aged son). Plus, I think it is important to understand something about these globalists and their push for control. They are not winning. They are not united, and the personal ambitions of these powerful individuals will likely lead to the movement fracturing due to their own selfish interests. It is already happening with individuals like Elon Musk and Tulsi Gabbard who were trained by the WEF as “future leaders” both coming out publicly against the globalists’ motives. Jerome Powell, head of the FEDERAL RESERVE, is also under attack by these same forces for trying to save a governmental institution and the banks that support it by reversing policy mistakes dating back to 2008 which has led to our current inflation crisis. With the complexity of the moving and interlocking parts fighting with each other, it is important for citizens to get fair and factual reporting to sort out the tremendous amount of information that is being thrown at us. Unfortunately, the media maybe the most controlled element of this globalist push. Since the COVID-19 lockdowns, Big Tech has decided to show its true nature. These tech companies have become nothing other than mouthpieces of propaganda for the largest corporations and governments on the planet. Not only are they censoring information that contradicts the official narrative with their internal algorithms, but the war on the American people has escalated where individuals who have an alternative viewpoint that opposes these narratives are being removed from the internet and in some cases, being financially eliminated from our economic system. It is hard to believe that the United States in 2022 has devolved into this authoritarian nightmare. But this is our current reality. If you want to understand the background of this escalation, I highly recommend this article from Glenn Greenwald. It is long and detailed but gives a fundamental and historical background that explains how this has happened. Counting mainstream publications and broadcasters like THE NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, THE ATLANTIC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS and FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE (Among many others), I have removed myself from all subscriptions and email lists from these media institutions. As a substitute, I have become a dedicated follower of the Substack platform. Voices who have been fired, resigned, or removed from mainstream publications because they did not promote the ‘approved narrative’ during the COVID-19 era of censorship have found their voices here. Substack has journalists that write about an incredibly diverse range of topics. Do you want financial advice? Substack has it. How about an evaluation of our culture? YUP. What about ex-Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura’s opinion on the world? They have it. The one difference from normal, mainstream media is the abandonment of the commercial advertising model which has kept over the air television free for over half a century. Many writers require a subscription to access their content. Because they are content creators and Substack refuses to put advertising on its platforms, this new subscription model is likely the future of independent journalism. Some of the biggest content creators have tens of thousands of subscribers usually paying a flat rate of 60 dollars a year so they are free to produce written articles, podcasts, and videos without relinquishing editorial control. Because of this, the best journalists on the planet have been producing incredible content here after many of them were removed from their mainstream publications for not “promoting the proper narrative.” Here are the subscriptions that I pay for: Chris Hedges (Formerly of the NEW YORK TIMES, PBS FRONTLINE and TRUTHDIG. Famous liberal anti-war voice who has covered wars for decades) Matt Stoller (Independent journalist and leftist who covers corporate monopoly power in the United States) Edward Snowden (Yes, THAT EDWARD SNOWDEN who is a fantastic writer) Michael Tracey (Formerly employed by Cenk Uygur’s YOUNG TURKS before he lost his mind) Glenn Greenwald (Formerly of SALON, THE GUARDIAN, and THE INTERCEPT. Another ex-liberal who has seen the light and is becoming more libertarian by the day) Matt Taibbi (Formerly of ROLLING STONE. Became famous writing about the 2008 financial crash. Also, a wonderful observer who comments on the destruction of the American left) Dr. Robert Malone (Inventor of “THAT MRNA” technology that has been injected into almost 2 billion people who has now dedicated his life to stopping it. As well as some political commentary) There are also some free memberships I follow. These sometimes have limitations where articles are paywalled. Only the first person listed below allows people to read all their content for free. Caitlin Johnstone (An anarcho-communist who writes about imperial propaganda and war) Igor Chudov (Data Analyst who analyzes the COVID-19 vaccines and health statistics. Yes, they are as bad as you think) Mark Crispin Miller (Besides his amazing middle name, he is a leftist professor from NYU who is in rebellion against the Democrats. Specializes in propaganda analysis) Alex Berenson (Formerly of the NEW YORK TIMES. Been a thorn in the side of Dr. Fauci and his COVID-19 vaccines and lockdowns from the start. This used to be a paid subscription) Doomberg (My favorite collective that writes incredibly in-depth articles on energy policy and economics and the fraud that is the “green energy” movement) Eugyppius (A chronicler of our failing culture and society) Tulsi Gabbard (Ex-Democratic Party representative and strong anti-war and civil liberties supporting voice) Based on the people I read and subscribe to; you can see what has been important in my life from a political perspective over the past couple of years. As an individual with their own unique interests and taste, you don’t have to listen to a damn thing I say about these people. The choices on Substack are defined by every person and their personal interests. But no matter what the topic may be, Substack will have a well-informed journalist covering it. I highly recommend engaging with this platform and becoming a member even if the idea of paying a subscription rate goes against your personal morality. You are supporting an alternative media platform that has spoken more “truth” over the past two years than all mainstream media publications have over the past decade. If you find any other writer that should be brought to my attention, feel free to post it in the comment section. Have a fantastic Halloween and I will be back after my upcoming trip to New Orleans on Election Day. Part 2 about the Rumble Platform will be next.
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Welcome to my 3rd annual Major League Baseball postseason prediction blog, the one sport that is often impossible to correctly predict. The 2022 season was the first one since 2019 that did not have the stench of COVID-19 attached to it. There were significant rule changes that modified the games for a modern day audience including the National League adoption of the designated hitter, a radical change to extra innings in which the last batter of the previous inning starts the next extra inning as a runner on second, and finally, the addition of a 6th playoff team in each league. After 162 games, the playoff field has been set.
Here are the National League Playoff Teams:
Here are the American League Playoff Teams:
The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN playoff teams until the expansion of the playoffs was incorporated in 2022. The playoff format is set up similarly to the NFL until they decided to add their 7th playoff team per conference in 2020. The division winner with the worst record now has to play a wild card series against the 6th and final seed. The first and second wild card teams meet in the other playoff series. The wild card has also been expanded to a three-game series instead of a one game elimination that takes place at the home stadium of the team with the higher seed. Unlike the NFL, the postseason also has one other minor difference. The playoff brackets are fixed. The top two seeds both receive byes. The top seed in each league plays the winner of the 4/5 seed wild card series. The second seed plays the winner of the 3/6 seed wild card series. The NFL readjusted its playoff bracket where the higher seed always played the lowest remaining seed. The MLB did not do this with the new playoff format. Since my own busy schedule is forcing me to post this blog late, here are my predictions for each round of the playoffs. Additional Note: I have a rooting interest in this 2022 postseason. My beloved San Diego Padres have made the field and my picks regarding this team is based on pure emotional attachment. But logic also wins the day. So, I am realistic about where their season ultimately ends. AL WILD CARD SERIES Cleveland defeats Tampa Bay 2 Games to 1 Seattle defeats Toronto 2 Games to 1 NL WILD CARD SERIES St. Louis defeats Philadelphia 2 Games to 0 San Diego defeats N.Y. Mets 2 Games to 1 AL DIVISIONAL SERIES Houston defeats Seattle 3 Games to 1 New York Yankees defeat Cleveland 3 Games to 0 NL DIVISIONAL SERIES Atlanta defeats St. Louis 3 Games to 0 L.A. Dodgers defeat San Diego 3 Games to 1 AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES New York Yankees defeat Houston 4 Games to 3 L.A. Dodgers defeat Atlanta 4 Games to 3 WORLD SERIES L.A. Dodgers defeat N.Y. Yankees 4 Games to 1 I will make this prediction very specific. The Yankees will likely win Game 1 against Clayton Kershaw. After that, the Dodgers’ pitchers will dominate the Yankee lineup and wipe the team out in 4 straight games. This will be the Dodgers 8th MLB Championship and 7th for the city of Los Angeles. This will also give the city of Los Angeles its 2nd championship in less than a year (Los Angeles Rams are the defending Super Bowl Champions from the 2021 season) and the state of California its 3rd championship during that same timeframe (Golden State Warriors are the 2022 NBA Champions). The only teams that fell outside this California domination would be the 2022 Colorado Avalanche who are the defending 2022 Stanley Cup Champions and the NYC Football Club who are the defending MLS Champions in 2021. Enjoy the postseason! |
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September 2024
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