Friday’s edition of Planet Waves has been mailed to our subscribers. It’s a definitive analysis of the astrology of RMS Titanic. I work with the chart for the departure of the ship from its first port, on its maiden voyage. In a separate article, I used a modern chart, looking at the influence of Pluto and Eris. Titanic is a chart that proves astrology. You will not want to miss this issue. — Eric Francis
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If you’re not a subscriber, what are you waiting for? We have a painless way to try it out: a one-month free trial subscription, which you can sign up for here. You’ll still get access to today’s issue, which covers a lot of ground. There’s a lot of collective material coming up from the depths in these days — so much, in fact, that some events that would ordinarily be big news have barely gotten a nod. But regardless of where the media focus is, the astrology is all about where it all intersects with our individual dives right now — and what we bring with us to the surface.
You can also read today’s issue by purchasing it individually here. It includes Eric’s horoscopes for all 12 signs — like no others you’ll read anywhere else — and a selection of astro-news briefs.
In unraveling fraud, it’s necessary to come up with plausible scenarios that account for the most possible facts. There will always be leftovers, things you don’t understand…until the whole truth comes out. Even if not “true,” the theory presented by this film is plausible and in my mind gets the rating of “something like this probably happened.” There is too much money all over these charts, too much at stake, too many businessmen, too much competition and too much unaccountable behavior for this to be some kind of a normal mishap.
If the Titanic was not too big to fail, people thought pulling off a heist of some kind was definitely too big to notice, and that’s how it often works. With fraud, the bigger the better; or as Dylan said, steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king.
Eric….seems fitting:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Eric – brilliant, brilliant piece! And a big thank you to Mr. Maltin for his time and sharing so much. I loved the interview and wished it lasted even longer. It was riveting! He’s very good at explaining those complex concepts in ways that are easy to follow and understand.
What his research uncovered is another reminder how little we know about the mechanics of the world and how much our perception controls what we do know. It’s like the ‘in the vat’ theory in philosophy. Our senses tell us one thing, but that does not make what is beyond our sense untrue. And it seems that eventually since proves that time and time again.
There’s so much about the Titanic incident that seems off or strange coincidence, such as the fact that the man who was stopping JP Morgan’s push for the Federal Reserve was on the Titanic and perished in the tragedy thus opening the way for JP Morgan to get the Federal Reserve approved.
Also, the company that owned the Titanic made quite a bit off of the insurance, more than the Titanic cost to build and none of the victims families claimed loss of life damages.
Looking at the astrology charts and the events and people surrounding the Titanic – it’s like sinking it (or the sister ship) killed many birds with one stone.
When you study history you learn not to put anything past anyone. History is littered with people who are willing to sacrifice lots of lives for their goal.
Looking at Morgan’s natal chart (hmmm looks a lot like Cheney’s chart, imagine that) he definitely is capable of of killing 1500 without blinking an eye.
amanda – the ships were often side by side at the Belfast yard where they were built, both in and out of dry dock all the time. Most of the custom stuff on the ships (china, linens, etc.) were standard White Star. The names were very few places (among them, the few lifeboats). The ships were nearly identical. Switching could have taken place in a short time with a small crew. It meant essentially switching the names, over the weekend. The film makes it clear in the first 20 minutes how plausible it was to do this — particularly absent cameras and reporters.
Also I know from lots of experience how easy it is to keep employees quiet something this big. Most people will think of their jobs first, and it will be easy to silence dissenters with death threats.
Len – the neptune effect is, I saw the charts whispering of intent, from the first time I looked at the sinking chart last Friday (shortly before I circulated it to our staff). But I could not wrap my head around how someone could kill that many people, lose the crew and still make a profit. Also I was not prejudiced by ANY conspiracy theories in advance. I had not given thought to, or heard of, or made up, any.
Yet my article keeps grousing around the 10th house Sun square Neptune — this goes all the way to the top. Now I am not saying that this film’s theory is true — it is the best explanation of the chart that I have seen so far. And if the ship at the bottom of the ocean does indeed say OLYMPIC along the bow — that would settle it. The film shows footage which I have no way to verify. But there have been enough recovery missions that there must be photos, and this has to have been investigated.
Thrive the Movie also talks about the Fed. It was the most eye-opening movie I have ever seen about how the Fed works.
“It is very sad about Tesla – he should have received the glory for electricity, not Edison.”
This issue of shutting up Tesla is mentioned in detail in the movie “Thrive” which can be seen for free at:
http://www.thrivemovement.com/home
There’s a lot in that movie about “the money folks” shutting up anything which would allow for free energy; even to the point of getting specific people killed.
And who benefits from the death of John Astor? From the comments on the 6th installment of the film:
“They fail to mention the free passages for Benjamin Gugenheim, Isadora Strauss and John Jacob Astor who all went down with the ship and were all three against the making of the Federal Reserve.
jenedie 3 months ago 42”
And:
“The deadline for filling taxes is April 15, is this just a coincidence? Also the Federal Reserve act was passed in1913, less than a year later. One has to wonder how many other politicians that shared the same view died unexpectedly?
tmouse65 in reply to jenedie (Show the comment) 21 hours ago”
And we segue to this in the comments:
“Another similarity. “Titanic” is the ONLY ship to sink after hitting an iceberg. WTC Twins are the ONLY Skyscrapers to ever collapse because of a fire. Both were white elephants, had extra insurance
it’s tragic.
This world sucks because of a handful of people that can NEVER have enough money!
wyzyrddrummer 2 hours ago
true
wyzyrddrummer in reply to greg357159 (Show the comment) 2 hours ago
Perhaps, the saving of lives was not really part of the plan but to take out powerful men opposed to it and with a tragedy of that proportion it would shift focus away from steamrolling the legislation for the FED. I don’t know, I’m just speculating. Today was the first time I ever heard of the conspiracy. Do any of cameron’s HD footage support the claims? Do we have pics of the repairs on the Starboard sides plates? It should be clear to see the 14 vs 16 holes difference yes?
wyzyrddrummer in reply to wyzyrddrummer (Show the comment) 2 hours ago
Wow, very compelling! The similarities to 9/11 are astounding w/regard to Larry Silverstein’s woes regarding WTC and asbestos. (watch?v=7WYdAJQV100 – order to pull WTC7) 3 mos. before 9/11 LS upped the insurance on the Twins.
It always boils down to Greed, Money and Power and the people that have no regard for human life.
This is all new to me, but the fact that people were on board that were opposed to the Federal Reserve is without question could be a HUGE and I mean HUGE motivation.
wyzyrddrummer 2 hours ago”
Food for thought eh? On this Mars Direct Saturday morning.
Ok, I watched the videos. I got it.
This is all very very very interesting. But one thing I don’t understand (I’ve not watched the video yet, but I read the article about Tesla):
how could JP Morgan be sure that the ship would have ‘met’ the iceberg? And that the captain would have ignored all the iceberg alerts?
Thank you, Fe. When Tesla’s name comes up … any time, anywhere … I pay attention. Tesla’s story — his genius and the freedom from a tyranny of energy costs he offered the world (talk about a paradigm shift!!), sabotaged and attacked, eventually eliminated — gave me my earliest “heads up” on the mundane evil of corrupt, orchestrated acts of money and power. And, having learned the fine points of cynicism and reality, to follow a story we follow the money, examine those who will profit. The awe-inspiring power of the Federal Reserve should give ALL of a pause.
The article added another layer of intriguing factors to the mysterious story of the Titanic, another early fascination of mine — which I concluded, in my teen years, offered an illustration of how far we’d come from the days of steerage, class bias and issues of public safety. Silly me!
um, when and where were the two ships supposedly “switched?” obviously not at sea, since it would have been difficult if not impossible to repaint the lettering on the sides, etc., right?
just wondering if maybe neptune in pisces is working its “magic” on us in a different way now…
Wow Fe, without even reading further I just imagined that it all centered around the control of the money. It is very sad about Tesla – he should have received the glory for electricity, not Edison. Too bad someone doesn’t put Ron Paul in charge of the Federal Reserve – it is long overdue the audit he’s talked about all these years.
What a captivating read and angle of studying the event. I try to time-travel my mind back to the epicenter of this event and feel it and what I get from this is a tale of the power of the ocean. About 20 years ago, a relative of mine worked for the Ontario Heritage Board. She was privy to some live footage of some sort of Canadian artifact salvaging effort that was taking place at the time and I tagged along with her to see what this was all about. We were basically watching a live feed of an underwater robot submersible digging around the wreck at a snail’s pace – I suppose looking for remnants for a planned maritime museum exhibit, if I remember right. As we sat watching this very slow-moving footage, one thought that kept occuring to me was how death levels everything – compound that by succumbing to the ocean and you have a different sense of that death experience.
I watched a film the other day about a guy that is looking to make peace with something he did in the past which was wicked and despicable – The name of the film is “Blue Eyes”. Basically this rotten customs officer harrasses a Brazilian man at the border and pushes him to the threshold of his pride and moral sensibilities. For anyone that wants to watch this film, I’ll keep quiet about how it plays out….but I will reveal the very end of the film. Basically, when he rights the wrong, makes peace with his own past and accepts that he is on his deathbed anyway….he chooses to die by being swallowed up by the ocean voluntarily. As a person who is frightened of large bodies of water and doesn’t swim, I find there is something profoundly beautiful about it’s power…even in death.
I’m reminded of this poem…
~ Hora Inmensa ~ by Juan Ramon Jimenez
Only a bell and a bird break the stillness …
It seems that the two talk with the setting sun.
Golden colored silence, the afternoon is made of crystals
A roving purity sways the cool trees,
and beyond all that,
a transparent river dreams that trampling over pearls
it breaks loose
and flows into infinity.
(The imdb link about the film I’m talking about above: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1552436/ )
Looks like Neptune is still (or again) at work.
The article is from http://www.truthistreason.net
Alrighty then, simple Googling is in order:
Did JP Morgan Sink the Titantic?
Posted on Jan 12, 2011 in Blog, Editorials, & Thoughts
Source: Truth Offering
As youngsters, we’re all told the infamous story of the Titanic, the supposedly indestructible ship that sunk on its maiden voyage. We’re all familiar with the story: the ship left Southampton, England, headed for New York City on April 10, 1912. Four days into the voyage, at 11:40pm on April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank at 2:20am, “resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history [12].”
Bad luck, we’re all led to believe. No one saw the iceberg and so the infallible ship sank. Bummer…
But few of us ever think that through. Forget, for a moment, the story we’re all fed. Does it make sense? My point is that just because we’re told a story when we’re young, doesn’t mean we should simply accept it as absolute truth.
Let’s take a look at some of the facts surrounding the sinking of the Titanic:
1. The unsinkable Titanic sunk…on its maiden voyage. How could this unsinkable ship sink? On its first trip, no less! That alone is quite remarkable/intriguing.
2. “Captain E.J. Smith ignored multiple iceberg warnings from his crew and other ships.” Getting from England to New York as fast as possible was goal number one, at the behest of his boss, Joseph Bruce Ismay, Managing Director of the White Star Line. Ismay had pressure from his boss, J.P. Morgan, owner of White Star Line [3]. By the way, Ismay survived the catastrophe.
3. Speaking of J.P. Morgan, he had his very own private suite and promenade deck on the Titanic. He was supposed to be on that fateful maiden voyage but canceled passage [8]. Coincidence or part of Morgan’s plan?
4. Once the Titanic struck the iceberg, the captain and his crew used white flares to signal distress. Unfortunately, white flares are not the color used to signal distress; red flares are always used to show distress. So the closest ship, the Californian, ignored the flares, assuming it was a celebratory signal, rather than an emergency [7]. Oops…
5. “All ships must carry sufficient lifeboats for the number of passengers on board. The Titanic did not [7].”
6. “About three million rivets were used to hold the sections of the Titanic together. Some rivets have been recovered from the wreck and analysed. The findings show that they were made of sub-standard iron. When the ship hit the iceberg, the force of the impact caused the heads of the rivets to break and the sections of the Titanic to come apart. If quality iron rivets had been used, the ship may not have sunk [7].”
7. “The belief that the ship was unsinkable was, in part, due to the fact that the Titanic had sixteen watertight compartments. However, the compartments did not reach as high as they should have. White Star Line did not want them to go all the way up because this would have reduced living space in first class [7].”
8. Killed on the sinking ship — along with 1,514 other people — were Benjamin Guggenheim, Isa Strauss and John Jacob Astor. Astor was, at the time, believed to be the wealthiest man on the planet. Guggenheim and Strauss weren’t far behind Astor. And these three powerful men opposed the Federal Reserve.
An angry JP Morgan yelling at photographers. He hated having his picture taken.As an aside to the above facts, let’s take a look at an additional dimension to the dynamic between J.P. Morgan and John Jacob Astor. Both Morgan and Astor invested large sums of money in the brilliance of Nikola Tesla, a genius inventor who gained notoriety during the late 19th/early 20th century. Morgan’s primary concern with Tesla was making money. Astor and Tesla, however, were good friends [9].
“Col. John Jacob Astor, owner of the Waldorf-Astoria, held his famous dining-room guest [Tesla] in the highest esteem as a personal friend, and kept in close touch with the progress of his investigations. When he heard that his researches were being halted through lack of funds, he made available to Tesla the $30,000 he needed in order to take advantage of Curtis’ offer and build a temporary plant at Colorado Springs [11].”
So what was the big deal about Tesla? Well, “Tesla had claimed to be able to send electrical energy without wires before the turn of the century, and he envisioned people all around the globe sticking rods into the earth to extract that energy — free …. After Tesla admitted to financier J.P. Morgan that an experimental tower on Long Island was meant to send power as well as message, his public career ended …. Corporate moguls who were interested in creating monopolies and metering electrical power blackballed him [10].”
Now let’s take a look at a few of the above facts that, when taken together, may paint quite a different picture of the tragedy of the Titanic:
1. J.P. Morgan owned White Star Line ships. J.P. Morgan was also the main conspirator behind the creation of the Federal reserve banking system. He was supposed to be on the ship but canceled at the last moment.
2. John Jacob Astor, along with Benjamin Guggenheim and Isa Strauss, were three very wealthy and powerful men, all of whom were vehemently against the creation of the Federal Reserve, and were quite outspoken on the matter. Morgan viewed Astor and Co. as a huge obstacle. These three men died when the Titanic — a ship built by J.P. Morgan’s White Star Line — hit that infamous iceberg and sank.
3. J.P. Morgan and John Jacob Astor both funded Nikola Tesla, who created a way to generate an infinite amount of electrical energy. Tesla planned to allow people to access that energy for free, but Morgan squashed Tesla because he wanted to profit from energy, not give it away. Astor, Tesla’s good friend, seemed to have deep pockets for Tesla. Not good for Morgan.
4. Once Astor, Guggenheim and Strauss were dead, there was no more public outcry against the Federal Reserve. It passed congress and was signed into law the following year on December 23, 1913. In addition, now Tesla’s funding was wiped away, his friend in Astor gone.
You must admit, all of this is extremely interesting. Could Morgan have created this plot to kill off his biggest opponents? Did Morgan “whack” Astor because he was getting in his way on too many wealth and power-generating projects?
Admittedly, there are some holes in this interesting theory. For example:
1. Why wouldn’t Morgan have simply had Astor, Guggenheim and Strauss shot? That certainly would have been easier than sinking an entire ship. Then again, then there would have been intense investigations into their murders. When multi-billionaires turn up dead, no stone is left unturned.
2. How could Morgan guarantee Astor, Guggenheim and Strauss would be on the ship? Maybe there were behind-the-scenes events, put in place by Morgan, to ensure those men would be on the ship. We’ll never know.
3. Moreover, how could Morgan be sure Astor, Guggenheim and Strauss would go down with the ship and not get off onto lifeboats? Maybe Morgan knew well of the truly high character of Astor: “Colonel Astor was another of the heroes of the awful night. Effort was made to persuade him to take a place in one of the life-boats, but he emphatically refused to do so until every woman and child on board had been provided for, not excepting the women members of the ship’s company [4].” Apparently, Guggenheim and Strauss did the same.
4. Why would J.P. Morgan have believed that unless Astor, Guggenheim and Strauss were killed, his coveted Federal Reserve Act wouldn’t have passed? It seems strange that these three men would have had the combined political power to diffuse Morgan & Co.’s clandestine plans.
However, even with the doubt these questions raise in this theory, one cannot help but look upon the story of the Titanic with suspicion.
Is it just a coincidence that J.P. Morgan owned White Star Line, the company that produced the supposedly unsinkable Titanic, and that it went down with his enemy, John Jacob Astor, as well as Federal Reserve opposers Guggenheim and Strauss?
And is it merely coincidence that Morgan and Astor both funded Nikola Tesla, whose innovations could have been either the greatest gifts to mankind or the greatest wealth generators for the few, depending upon who controlled them?
Could the Titanic have been the most ingenious assassination in history?
The conclusion I’ve come to is that it’s certainly a possibility.
My spine is tingling as I read these comments. I found the article very, very interesting and a little unsettling. Now maybe I understand why.
I’m feeling a bit sensitive to fraud & delusion right now due to some events unfolding at my work. Neptunian delusion must be operating there – the things being revealed point to several opportunities to have questioned/stopped the apparent (!) perpetrator but which were never explored. What is being revealed shows systematic thieving and deceit by someone who had done it before elsewhere.
This person has led what appears to be a typical suburban family life – nice house, active & studious kids, sweet dogs, etc. And now she’s in jail (along with her father, on those prior felony charges) and will likely be charged with dozens of felony counts for the current situation. And we’re not even sure we’ve found it all. It was craftily done and involved another person in the office, though I believe that person was an easy mark who unknowingly abetted rather than an accomplice. But I’m not sure of anything at this point. BTW, our investigation started after a co-worker stumbled upon something that looked funny while looking for something else entirely.
Great story. There was a Vanderbilt who didn’t sail and other financiers listed at Wikipedia who held tickets who didn’t sail; and who benefits from the death of John Astor?
OH FUCK.
Taking another look at the departure chart, I have learned again: trust my immediate first impressions when looking at a chart.
When I first studied the 8th house of the departure chart, to consider it as a death chart, the sign involved on the cusp is Aquarius. The ruler is Saturn. Saturn is in Taurus, conjunct the Part of Fortune. I took one look at that and I thought: who profited from death?
Yet I could not think of a way anyone could ram a ship into an iceberg, kill 1,500 people and still manage to make a profit. But — industrialists are industrious.
If you’re following this thread, here is access to the article, which now goes into the “getting it mostly right but missing the obvious” files. Or rather, noticing the obvious, but still falling under the spell of Neptune, which is a mighty weaver of illusions. If you have watched the movie listed below, keep that in mind as you read my interpretations of the 10th house, which I mentioned a moment ago goes “all the way to the top,”
http://planetwaves.net/astrologynews/486058985.html
Okay — I am gonna go out to the land, and talk to some trees and three dogs I love.
And…I am working on a (new) fraud story involving someone who is trying to steal 70 acres of the Grandmother Land, an evolution of a story I did in 1997 and a few times since, but not recently. Here is that original piece —
http://www.planetwaves.net/pirates.html
There is so much that is so weird about the departure chart that I was inclined to say “this whole thing is fake,” but I had no idea how I could really say that and still stay in a rational framework. Yet I consider this an entirely plausible theory on every level, from the motives to the logistics involved.
Fraud is a self-concealing crime. It takes some effort and skill — and luck — to see through it. I am gradually learning how to work with these charts of false flag incidents.
Katie Scarlet — thank you for the lead. I will be taking a second look at this chart, in an article.
Okay I have just watched through most of this film — I am at the end. Stunned.
Looking at the departure chart over and over for a week, I was left with three questions that I could not answer. The first was the 10th house of the departure chart. It works to explain events as misjudgments, but what was troubling me was the feeling of how high up this went. The 10th goes a lot higher than the captain of a ship or a shipping company; it goes up to the king or the president of the country.
Second, that void Moon is in the last degree of Capricorn. That degree of Capricorn is the one with the Sabian about the conspiracy of men who rule the world. This, too, pointed to something higher up, but which I could not quite make out.
Third, Pluto is in Gemini. By the way, the Moon in the sinking chart (and Venus in the departure chart) is conjunct Eris, and square Pluto AND Atlantis. I kept looking at Pluto in Gemini thinking: there have to be two of something. There have to be two of something. I was aware of the Olympic but not that she was the constant companion of Titanic. This is so obvious I am kind of amazed I missed it…but…this whole thing is under the Neptune effect. It’s like a cloud has permeated the whole thing, and it exists within a dream — now a century old, with everyone gone, and all but the official record destroyed.
The Atlantis theory as I documented it in Here at the Edge of the World is not about criminal negligence; it’s about INTENT. This film about the swapping of Titanic and Olympic brings in the angle of intent.
Okay — this is the conspiracy plot I’ve been waiting for. I know it seems kinda crazy — but this chart is so twisted that it hast the feeling of false flag. I will chase down this line of thought and see where it leads.
Oh, Fortuna! Oh, Neptunian Delusion! Oh, Twisted Insurance Scam Gone Awry!
It is quite probable that it was not the Titanic which met a watery grave in April 1912, but its nearly-identical sister ship, the Olympic. The Olympic had been badly damaged in a collision with Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hawke. To recoup insurance money, the White Star Line–partly owned by J.P. Morgan, who also owned the Californian–switched the ships in a crafty and elaborate naval rip-off that went dramatically wrong.
That is the poignant picture painted by Robin Gardiner in Titanic: The Ship That Never Sank. There is also a compelling YouTube series, Why They Sunk The Titanic, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II-JVcaW0O0&feature=related
Fascinating. A wonderful exposition/exploration of the ‘too big to fail’ mentality, human contempt for nature – but also human frailty and indecision. Thanks!
Yes – thank you for this brilliant piece, Eric. I had no idea about the Californian ship.
“Now, magnify these issues onto an industrial scale; imagine the damning corporate documents that reveal how much companies know about how much can go wrong, but don’t tell you”. Yes. And thank you for the wonderful horoscopes and general astrology.
Had to post this:
The Convergence of the Twain
In a solitude of the sea
Deep from human vanity,
And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she.
II
Steel chambers, late the pyres
Of her salamandrine fires,
Cold currents thrid, and turn to rhythmic tidal lyres.
III
Over the mirrors meant
To glass the opulent
The sea-worm crawls — grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent.
IV
Jewels in joy designed
To ravish the sensuous mind
Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind.
V
Dim moon-eyed fishes near
Gaze at the gilded gear
And query: “What does this vaingloriousness down here?” …
VI
Well: while was fashioning
This creature of cleaving wing,
The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything
VII
Prepared a sinister mate
For her — so gaily great —
A Shape of Ice, for the time far and dissociate.
VIII
And as the smart ship grew
In stature, grace, and hue,
In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too.
IX
Alien they seemed to be;
No mortal eye could see
The intimate welding of their later history,
X
Or sign that they were bent
By paths coincident
On being anon twin halves of one august event,
XI
Till the Spinner of the Years
Said “Now!” And each one hears,
And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.
Thomas Hardy
i still can’t believe the asteroid that happened to be at 28+ Gemini — i laughed out loud at the surreal synchronicity of that. (not sure what i’m talking about? buy the issue! it’s totally worth it.)
😉
Beautiful job, top to bottom, eric. It read like a great detective story, or a more thorough history lesson than what ever has been provided in the past. This is not a singular large tragedy but a series of tragedies of epic scale — these tragedies seem to be the hallmark of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
The chart material settles once and for all the nature of the event, not just human error but a deadly combination of human pride, delusion, and forces of the cosmos conspiring to create a lesson with a meaning whose time has come. I wonder if the same kind of cascade of fail happened at Chernobyl and Bhopal?
We are such a by-the-minute transaction kind of culture that the full breadth of a tragic moment with staggering consequences — Banda Aceh tsunami, 9-11, Fukushima — becomes forgettable except for those trying to exploit it — or exploit the cultural amnesia surrounding it.
I’m not sure if the mass of us are big enough yet to comprehend the meaning of this disaster let alone the meaning of history and go beyond the sensational and into the science, fact and deeper implications. We need greater village elders than what we have right now. Sometimes, it feels to me that the feudal system of vassal states (nations) with lords (corporations) vying for the fragments of power here and there and everywhere has not changed since the Dark Ages. It has just changed hands.
When will a new model be created? Does the planet have to be destroyed before that happens?
It is a great article, Eric and team. I absolutely know that, in one sector at least, many of us – *most* of us – are fiddling while Rome drowns.