Is Trump about to be arrested? He certainly thinks so, and has put out a call for people to protest in his defense. Curiously, last week Pakistan's 'Trump', Imran Khan, narrowly avoided arrest when his supporters took to the streets in their thousands to prevent police executing a warrant. And then there's the ICC's 'international arrest warrant' for Putin, wanted for 'war crimes against children'...

As the Battle for Bakhmut - and thus all Ukraine, it seems - reaches boiling point, the Russian military last week directly and openly clashed with the US. And... nothing! At least, no WW3.

All that came out of it was Washington 'shaming' Moscow for "environmentally-unsound flying."


Running Time: 01:28:03

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In just a short time, programs like ChatGPT and other chat bots have burst on the societal scene to the delight, fascination and enthrallment of millions. Individuals can now interact with a language program that is seemingly conversant on numerous subjects and provides "answers" via virtual brains. But this new powerful technology begs many more questions: What are these programs really, and how do they fit in with the development of AI? Where does anthropomorphic projection fit in as people become increasingly involved with them? Are these bots a first major step towards a transhuman reality? And can these technologies actually be forming the basis or entryway to a new type of technoreligion?

This week on Mindmatters we get to discuss these issues with Joe Allen, author of the Substack blog Singularity Weekly. After extensive research into this and related subject matter, Joe's nuanced analysis tells us that yes, we need to be paying serious attention to where all this has brought us, and where things are very likely going. Given how powerful and even seductive the use of these technologies are, he also suggests what may be the healthiest attitude or approach to interacting with them going forward. As if the world hasn't devolved into enough insanity there is, in fact, a new pathologizing influence to contend with. And we, 'legacy humans', ignore its profound influences at our own peril.


Running Time: 01:34:18

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The 'Covid Origins Story' reemerged recently with FBI Director Christopher Wray stating that the pandemic "most likely" stemmed from a "lab incident" in Wuhan, China. This energized Republicans' Covid probes, resulting in unanimous Congressional support for "publishing all government files on Covid's origins."

If such happens, you can bet that all resulting "revelations" will be "dynamically shaped" to smear China. Together with "Balloon-gate," this is grist to the mill of "containing China," something President Xi of China this week, for the first time, explicitly stated is the US' "grand geopolitical strategy" for thwarting China's rise.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has brokered a tentative peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, something the US had nothing to do with, and which signals diminishing American influence in the Middle East, the "energy spigot" of the whole world...


Running Time: 01:11:49

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A devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on the morning of February 6. A second major earthquake of 7.5 magnitude struck the region 9 hours later, causing further severe damage and destruction of buildings. On February 20, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Hatay, and on February 27, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake centered in Malatya also caused many damaged buildings to collapse and increased the death toll. More than 150 aftershocks were also recorded.

46,000 people in Turkey and 6,0000 in Syria lost their lives, and at least 1.5 million people are now homeless. More than 160,000 buildings have collapsed or been severely damaged. It's hard to know the true number so far, it could be much higher.

The immediate damage is estimated at $34 billion - or about 4% of the country's annual economic output. But the indirect costs of the quake could be much higher, and recovery will be neither easy nor quick.

Just for the record, a prediction model based on the geometry between celestial bodies related to seismic activity (SSGEOS) highlighted a potential major earthquake in central Turkey days before the event above:



This model is still developing, but it seems promising for predicting major earthquake events with reasonable accuracy.

A series of earthquakes also struck Tajikistan, with the largest measured at magnitude 6.8, according to the USGS. The quake was felt strongly across the border in some areas of Kashgar Prefecture and Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, but no casualties or damage were reported.

A massive late-winter storm moved across the US, dumping record snow, freezing temperatures, and heavy flooding, canceling hundreds of flights, and coating major roads with ice. However, the same system brought record warmth to the South.

Other related significant events in the U.S. this month:

• Tooele, Utah - 2 feet of snow overnight.
• Michigan - Snow and ice storm leaves 461,000 without power.
• Cheyenne, Wyoming - 4 feet of snow and record cold of -19C.
• Southern California - 6 feet of snow.

And around the world:

• Iranian Kuhrang, Iran - Record 8.2 feet of snow in 48 hours.
• Morocco - Record 7.2 feet of snow left 87 villages isolated.
• Austria - 1.2 feet of snow in 24 hours.
• Balkans - Heavy snowfall cuts power to thousands.
• Mayorce, Spain - 20 inches of snow and a sudden drop in temperature.

All this and more in our SOTT Earth Changes Summary for February 2023:

ESG's, diversity, equity, and inclusion, stakeholder capitalism, sustainability, CBDC's, transhumanism, Agenda 2030 — no doubt you've heard or read about these and any number of other terms that are meant to get the public with the new progressive and "forward thinking" policies and philosophies of the future. Of course you have; they are all part of the behemoth global elite-inspired policies and agendas of the so-called "Great Reset." But what's really behind them? What are they actually meant to accomplish? And how might these ideas, put into actual practice, affect the way that we live — or don't live?

Joining MindMatters once again is accomplished writer and researcher Michael Rectenwald. Author of Springtime for Snowflakes, Beyond Woke and The Google Archipelago — and in a most insightful progression — Michael tackles his biggest and most important subject yet with his new book The Great Reset and the Struggle for Liberty. With a depth and breadth that is unmatched, his new book delves into one of the most profoundly totalitarian and far-reaching new (and not so new) political, social, and economic agendas in contemporary history. Join us as we get our heads around what already promises to be the most monstrous and destructive developments of the 21st century, the Great Reset, and discuss what we can actually do in response.


Running Time: 01:23:54

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It's been a busy week for the Chinese foreign ministry, proposing a peace plan for Ukraine while fending off Western accusations that it instead plans to supply weapons to Russia, then publishing a series of reports on the negative impact of American hegemony on world order. Up until now, we've just heard such condemnation of US foreign policy in Putin's speeches, but are we now seeing China announce its alliance with Russia against America?

Meanwhile, in an apparent move to 'steal Vlad's thunder', Biden's handlers sent him to Kiev and Warsaw for 'attaboys', which they hoped would distract Westerners from Putin's 'state of the nation' speech. Judging by popular reaction, especially from conservatives and nationalists, their scheme failed - all the more so because Trump came to the aid of residents of East Palestine, Ohio, the scene of a strange (and potentially deadly) 'industrial accident', which Biden refused to do.


Running Time: 01:41:46

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Helen Dale, lawyer and award-winning author of 3 novels, including The Hand that Signed the Paper, writes at Law & Liberty and Not On Your Team, But Always Fair. Her two-novel series Kingdom of the Wicked is an alternative history of Roman-occupied Judea in the first century and the arrest and trial of Yeshua ben Yusuf, an enigmatic man with a large following, including some radical religious zealots. If you like literary and genre fiction — and Roman history — you won't be able to put these ones down. They've got soldiers, lawyers, terrorists, and biomechs; action, romance, legal proceedings, and great characters.

Today on MindMatters we talk about the books and how Helen came to write them, blending Roman morality with modern technology, and the interesting directions that might have gone. Other topics: political systems and their compatibility with different nations and cultures, Lorenzo Warby's articles on Helen's Substack, a policy approach to countering Woke ideology, Cluster B's and ponerology in modern and historical politics, what Hannah Arendt got wrong about totalitarianism, and how lobbyists are the absolute worst.


Running Time: 01:47:15

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Following the 'high' of UFO-balloon-gate, US imperial policy returned to Earth this week as Western leaders paraded their psychotic embrace of global hegemony at the annual Munich Security Conference (MSC).

This time last year, the annual pow-wow ended with Zelensky floating the idea of Kiev acquiring nuclear weapons, at which point Russia declared its recognition of the breakaway Donbass republics and launched a 'special military operation' to 'denazify' Ukraine.

Statements made by Western leaders at MSC 2023 - by the British PM in particular - suggest the Anglo-Americans remain committed to fighting to the last Ukrainian to achieve 'existential victory' over Russia - and if that requires upending civilization and causing suffering on a gargantuan scale, then so be it.


Running Time: 01:32:42

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The start of 2023 has been marked by heavy snow, unseasonably cold temperatures, and wetter-than-expected weather for the season. All this while the manufactured food and energy crisis continues to deepen in the West, thanks to the deluded globalist psychopaths.

Extreme weather hit California pretty hard this month: A bomb cyclone, severe flooding, mudslides, power outages, walls of snow in Soda Spring, and a magnitude 4.2 earthquake with an epicenter in offshore Malibu.

Denver, Colorado, saw 13 inches of snow this month, making it the 15th snowiest January on record. Jackson County registered -5°C, and the Purgatory ski resort recorded 23 inches of snow in 24 hours.

Northern Arizona got more than two feet of snow in 48 hours. It was the 25th largest snow event and broke the single-day snowfall record on Sunday.

Nevada was hit by winter storms that brought heavy rain, high winds, and significant snowfall at higher elevations. Las Vegas desert was also covered in white, a strange sight for the area.

More than 41 inches of snow fell at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, forcing a closure due to extreme weather conditions. The resort also recorded nearly 8 inches of rain.

Heavy snow also disrupted normal life in Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Mallorca. Mallorca was covered by its largest snowfall in more than five years.

China's northernmost city, Mohe, was hit by an all-time record of -53°C, the lowest ever recorded. The local officials worked overtime to ensure heating and water services. This comes days after temperatures plunged to -50°C in Russia's Yakutsk.

Central Asia also suffered a harsh January. In Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan recorded unusual levels of snow, that collapsed power poles and trees, blocked main roads, and burst water pipes. The temperatures in Kazakhstan reached a chilling -30°C.

The Middle East was also caught off guard by colder-than-usual temperatures and snow. Tens of thousands of Iranians were left without gas amid snow and freezing conditions, and Afghanistan temperatures plummeted as low as -33°C, combined with widespread snowfall, freezing gusts, and regular power outages. At least 166 people died due to the cold wave.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie continued to batter northern Australia this month. Heavy rain turned roads into rivers, thousands of cattle got lost or died, and boats were the only form of transportation in some counties. Western Australia was also hit hard by heavy rain and floods. 38 homes and 37 businesses were destroyed, with an additional 121 homes damaged. In some cases, the damage is so severe that will require long-term rebuilding efforts. The floods have also caused significant damage to infrastructure and transportation routes.

New Zealand's largest city declared a state of emergency after torrential rains caused widespread flooding and evacuations. Heavy floods washed away houses, blocked roads, and knocked out power. The city received 75% of its usual summer rainfall in just 15 hours.

Latvia experienced its worst flooding since 1981, forcing residents of central areas to evacuate their homes. Meanwhile, large chunks of ice that drifted from Belkarus caused the water level to rise, while also putting pressure on a new dam.

Other noteworthy events this month:

• Sumatra, Indonesia: Heavy flooding leaves 3 dead and 15,000 homes damaged
• Johor and Pahang, Malaysia: More than 4,000 were displaced by flooding caused by 17 inches of rain in 24 hours
• North Sulawesi, Indonesia: Nearly 18 inches of rain in 48 hours left 3-meter floods in some areas.
• Zambia - Non-stop rains caused catastrophic flooding in southern and central provinces.

And things start to get rocky! A 5.9 Mag earthquake struck northwestern Iran, killing at least seven people and injuring 440.

All this and more in our SOTT Earth Changes Summary for January 2023:

The Pentagon is quietly transitioning high-altitude balloon projects to the military services.
The Pentagon is working on a new plan to rise above competition from China and Russia: balloons.

The high-altitude inflatables, flying at between 60,000 and 90,000 feet, would be added to the Pentagon's extensive surveillance network and could eventually be used to track hypersonic weapons.

The idea may sound like science fiction, but Pentagon budget documents signal the technology is moving from DoD's scientific community to the military services.

"High or very high-altitude platforms have a lot of benefit for their endurance on station, maneuverability and also flexibility for multiple payloads," said Tom Karako, senior fellow for the International Security Program and Missile Defense Project director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Pentagon continues to invest in these projects because the military could use the balloons for various missions.