America has a new hot story du jour to come to terms with: There are reports all over the place about how the parent company of the National Enquirer obtained some (ahem) bawdy photos of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and attempted to bury the story IF Bezos would….well, The Medium has a good run-down on it. So, too,, does the NY Times story over here…
Sure, you will be able to follow the sordid details about anywhere you look, but our specialty here is a) longwave economics and b) reporting on how Everything is a Business Model.
First, on the long wave economics side: We know that in long waves in the economy, there’s an old saying: One generation makes it, one generation runs it, and one generation squanders it. When you plug in the length of an average lifetime, it could be argued that many family fortunes come and go on a semi-regular 50-90 year cycle.
Which is where we are right now – kind of at the end of the “squandering it” phase.
In the squander phase, all sorts of social mood swings occur. In the 1920’s blow-off and then collapse, it was the Flappers trying to all the “shock value” they could. Why women smoking…the very thought of it!
The modern analog may be seen in the LBGTQRS (*etc) movement which is – like the flappers – into their own music, behaviors, and shock waves. Which, thanks to the amplification factor of the Internet, are seeming to lead a big wave of social change.
But something else happens in this period, though frankly we thought it might be along further into the future – not so large so fast.
I would draw your attention to the 1932 Lindbergh Kidnapping. From the Wikipedia entry:
“On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., 20-month-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was abducted from his home Highfields in East Amwell, New Jersey, United States.[2] On May 12, his body[3] was discovered nearby.[4]
In September 1934 Bruno Richard Hauptmann was arrested for the crime. After a trial that lasted from January 2 to February 13, 1935, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Despite his conviction, he continued to profess his innocence, but all appeals failed and he was executed in the electric chair at the New Jersey State Prison on April 3, 1936.[5] Newspaper writer H. L. Mencken called the kidnapping and trial “the biggest story since the Resurrection.”
Scaling Historical Echoes
We spend a lot of time generalizing in order to understand the world around us. And in this instance, there are a number of parallels that strike me that are interesting, to say the least:
First, we are looking, both in the Lindbergh kidnapping and in the Jeff Bezos case at very high profile (global rock stars of business) people.
Second, the timing is close. Not perfect, but the long wave economic bottom is a broad period spanning perhaps a decade and a half. Anywhere in here might be a “general” case.
Third: Both in Lindbergh and in Bezos’ case, there is a significant family focus of the media. Little baby in the first instance and an older babe in the other. The events threatened to disrupt a “core American family.”
Similarly, the “other woman” and Bezos possible divorce are widely socially noticed.
Four: Oddly, perhaps, there was an aspect of aviation/flight to both stories. For it wasn’t just the flying records of Charles Lindbergh that caught our eye, it was that Jeff Bezos has a major pet space project, Blue Origin.
Another Wiki cite for those not tracking:
Blue Origin, LLc is an American privately fundedaerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company headquartered in Kent, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the company is developing technologies to enable private human access to space with the goal to dramatically lower costs and increase reliability. Blue Origin is employing an incremental approach from suborbital to orbital flight, with each developmental step building on its prior work. The company motto is Gradatim Ferociter, Latin for “Step by Step, Ferociously”
We actually favor the translation of gradatim as “by degrees” or “to build by degrees” but the Latin fine distinctions aside, it’s interesting that Lindbergh was a “sky man” and Bezos is a “sky man” as well.
So, too, is Bezos’s alleged acquaintance Lauren Sanchez who founded an aerial aviation company.…
(A bit arcanely, in magic there are four cardinal colors and directions. I will leave it to your researches to discover where Earth, Air, Fire, and Water are in magic’s ordination of things. Just be aware that most people have such ordinations, as well.
Lindbergh was born February 4, 1902 while Bezos was born January 12, 1964. Depending on whether you’re a fan of tropical astrology or sidereal astrology, January 12 makes Bezos a Capricorn while Lindbergh was Aquarius. I’ll leave it to our consulting astrologer to give us additional details about the fit… Lauren Sanchez is a Sagittarius.
Fifth: Most important of all, there is an extortive flavor to both events. In the Lindbergh case, money. In the Bezos case, AMI was apparently trying to force Bezos into certain behaviors.
Whether the AMI behaviors constitute extortion will likely be settled by future litigation, but the Black’s Law Dictionary definition of extortion is spelled out here. Interesting legal point:
We could prattle on, but you see the point by now, one hopes: The Lindbergh kidnapping was a national outrage, While the Bezos case seems in our view, to be a kindling effect for a national outrage as well.
With claims in Mediaite that “After Bezos Post, Ronan Farrow Says He’s Received Similar ‘Blackmail Efforts from AMI’” we expect that other media may come to be exposed as attempting to assert influence over the course of “news” events as well.
As an “old reporter” strike me as odd that a band of lawyers would have any business making contact of any sort with a personality in the news. In a former world, the newsroom ran stories based on merit. Not based on compliance with demand letters that could be taken as extortive.
Key Takeaway: There is a huge question: Now that Bezos has outed AMI’s behavior, who will out other media, especially large-size Northeast influencer media (toss in networks, too) as engaging in the same type of questionable practices?
Unlike the Lindbergh case, which played out quickly, the revelations to come may eventually, over a year or two, reveal the deep state political networks that profit from practicing “news control.”
:Lawyers and ad departments have no business in the newsroom, as we view things.
We think more AMI-type revelations to come would be just dandy. And is this somehow curiously-related to Bezos divorce?
The Future is Below Us
WIth Dow futures down 111 before the open, we continue to stare at our work comparing the present with 1929:
What I find plain damn interesting is look where the analogy to the Great Depression is right now: Summer/Fall of 1931 which is very close to the Lindbergh dates.
In other “Shorts”
Monetizing the weather, we thing, has become deeply engrained in reporters as we scan Reuters “Darkening ‘global economic skies’ pull stocks lower,” I don’t know what an economic sky is, but there’s the meme reinforcement.
More instructive: “Crypto bear market threatens to last as potential token supply weighs.” BTC was $3,395 earlier today.
They’re still coming for your guns: Illinois Dems introduce bill requiring gun buyers to reveal social media accounts before getting firearm license.
Justice Roberts Joins Supreme Court Liberals to Block Louisiana Abortion Law.
Note to Octave-Cortex and Bernie: How comes you socialists don’t mention stories like “Venezuela crisis: A health system in a state of collapse?” Worker’s what-a-dise? As US aid arrives at the Colombian border are stuck?
And something for your Sunday prayers: “Sociologists study the impact religion has on child development.” Better hope they do a “cleaner” job of sciencing than has been done on climate.
Moron the ‘morrow.
G – The historical rhymes are SCREAMING out…
Colonel Lindbergh , a courageous man and great Flier, was sympathetic to Germany. Story goes Lindbergh was holding out on Admiral Canaris/ DVD on something..speculation runs to his being briefed on Hoover being a German asset and their most valuable stooge in Washington, and or how Germany orchestrated the Great Depression. How deep ??the head of NJ State Police head of investigation at the time…Norman Schwarzkopf Senior. So of course there was only 1 Perp. involved the kidnapping..W.R. Hearst media was involved as well..
? USD is “created” by FED with a keystroke, this is “given” to the Banks – at interest, hence a Note = debt instrument.
This US Dollar is in actuality Debt, and could have Negative sign in front of denomination number on front of Note.
Digitally created, with less 10% in physical circulation.
Does the US Dollar have any value after the lights go out, like Gold & Silver ?
Currency was used prior to the discovery of electricity. Inflation will be the biggest problem as a black market develops. The government will declare martial law & set barter rules using currencies, gold, silver, etc. Gold & silver is useful only because the available amounts can be controlled, unlike currency which is unlimited. A precious metal backed currency would provide more stability in the country as resources become scarce. But those without the means will revolt, so guns & ammunition will be a hot commodity for trading.
If the electrical grid goes away, anyone who owns a commerce center (a-la Aunty Entity, Tina Turner’s character in Beyond Thunderdome) is going to operate under pure capitalism. They’ll set their own prices and terms for sales and barter, based on actual value and local scarcity, irrespective of anything any far w
away government might say. People didn’t obey Roman Law because it was fair, just, or right, or because it was the law. They obeyed at the point of a spear, which was present in every town and hamlet in the Empire. When the spear went away, “The Law” became unenforceable.
As before, so shall it ever be…
Inertia is a wonderful thing – sometimes. Paper USD’s will retain some value after the lights go out until people finally get that is has no intrinsic value. It may still retain value as a token of exchange, since no more can easily be created by folks without power and comms. Digidollars and cryptos go out along with the lights.
Astrologer Mark Lerner says the future for cryptos may be bright after the late 2020 conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter.
If the Phillies sign Harper,buy gold with both hands.
George, your takeaway from the extortion scandal is that real reputable journalists are similar to a sleazy National Inquirer?
Pretty ridiculous.
You do realize that the Inquirer pays sources? And practices felony campaign violations (catch and kill) to surreptitiously help elect someone as corrupt as Trump?
Moreover, you missed the core thrust of the story. A true profile in courage. Bezos outed himself rather than allowing himself or his paper to be coerced off of the true facts of a story. Best, Mike.
Mike
Did you notice the Deep State MSM, through the NetFlix branch, reached out to make our latest HRC variant, Alexandria Occasional-Cortex a multimillionaire, through purchase of the rights to her life story up until now, for $10MM.
This strikes me as a huge payoff, couched it terms of the MSM financing one of its darlings.
Did the do this for Sarah Palin, who is even more photogenic and makes infinitely more sense?
Today is a slow, cold news day, so I thought I would stir the pot with a list of my favorite subversive patriotic Constitutional amendments:
“Elected government officials, political appointees, judiciary, and civil servants from local, state or federal jurisdictions shall not be exempted from any rule, regulation, or law which is applicable to other United States citizens of those jurisdictions. Any such exemptions currently in place are made null and void. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
“Elected government officials, political appointees, judiciary, and civil servants from local, state or federal jurisdictions, or trusts or campaign funds representing these individuals, shall not receive payments or credit from, foreign governments, private interests of foreign origin, or individuals who are not United States citizens. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
“Single-party or monarchist rule is forever prohibited in these United States. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
“Electronic surveillance of United States citizens by government, military, or private agents without individual prior court approval and oversight is prohibited. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
“All jurisdictions in these United States must allow voters to write in candidates of their choice in all elections or primaries. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
“All rules, regulations, and laws governing discrimination or exclusion of United States citizens must be applied equally to all citizens, without exception or exclusion. No group shall be awarded special privilege. Regulation of privileges and exclusions applied to non-citizens shall be by Congress, and enforcement shall be honored by local, state and Federal jurisdictions, without exception. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
No politico will vote for anything like this? Fine, make it a condition of reelection. The parties may control the ballots, but in most jurisdictions, your vote really does count.
Also don’t forget that the states can initiate a convention to consider such amendments. There is nothing that prohibits a state from restricting the list of amendments to be considered, and enforcing it with capital termination and replacement of their delegates who stray from the program. Hold the convention in Austin, TX.
To continue your pattern: And one generation suffers a crisis for it: The fourth turning.
The four seasons of growth, awakening, unraveling and crisis have been going on since the Old Testament. Even Homer, in his epic The Iliad, covered 3 of the 4 life seasons.
This has played out in America from the French & Indian war, to the American Revolution, to the Civil war, to WWII, to today. Each approx 80 years; one human lifetime, apart.
We are currently in the next crisis period for America, where the fate of our nation may hang in the balance.
There are 5: water, air, earth, fire — and surprise!
Lol lol lol Cynthia I wonder if there couldn’t be a sixth …
Water,air,earth,fire,surprise and Oh Shizt here it comes…
Your Earth, Air, Fire and Water and Bezos links are as follows.
Amazon is named after the worlds largest natural oxygen production area in the world…The lungs of the EARTH.
Air is related to his exploration of air and space with drones that deliver packages and his dedication to Blue Origin.
Fire is the name of a brand of one of his popular products…Amazon Fire stick..
Water refers to Bezos investment in Zero Mass Water….which produces solar panels that pull water out of the air, filter it, and deliver it to your home faucet.
So it seems.m Bezos is in his way to controls the four Elements of Astrology
And thus is able to profit from them…