Vertigo Time Warp also known as a Solar Minimum

I'm not one to make a mountain out of a molehill, but I have to wonder about the Sun.  According to a CNN Science article, "The sun is experiencing a less active phase called 'solar minimum,'"
The article goes on to say: "...just like us, it (the Sun) goes through phases and changes. Over time, those changes in our star have become more predictable. Currently, it's going through a less active phase, called a solar minimum."

The sun experiences regular 11-year intervals including energetic peaks of activity, followed by low points. During the peak, the sun showcases more sunspots and solar flares.  Scientists at NASA say we're currently in a "Grand Solar Minimum." The last time this occurred was between 1650 and 1715.  

Curious on what the years 1650 to 1715 were about, I researched and found that those years are known historically as the Age of Louis XIV.  Louis ruled from 1643 to 1715.  The most notable events from this time was, war.  According to Wikipedia, France was the leading European power, and it fought three major wars: the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of the Spanish Succession. There were also two lesser conflicts: the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions.  War was such a part of the time of Louis XIV that reference books such as An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization by Cathal J. Nolan, write: "Dominated by the ambitions of France's King Louis XIV, Europe in the years 1650-1715 witnessed a series of wars from which emerged many of the theories, practices, and technologies that characterize modern warfare. 

Another interesting fact I found was that an outgoing French ambassador compared Trump to Louis XIV by saying that they were both "Unpredictable and uniformed."  That ambassador (Gérard Araud) went on to say:  “It is the end of an era, the era of neoliberalism. We don’t yet know what will succeed it,” Araud tweeted at 2 a.m. on the night Trump was elected. “After Brexit and this election, anything is possible. A world is collapsing before our eyes. Vertigo.”

Yes, Vertigo, the world of Donald Trump and Louis XIV.  Yesterday I told you the world under Dr Donald Trump is a world of chaos, but I think "Vertigo" is a better way of saying it. What are the other similarities between Trump and Louis XIV?  Take a seat, the similarities are Vertigo crazy. 

Of all the similarities between Trump and Louis XIV, the most notable are their egos.   Trump says he is the greatest president ever and everyone before him sucked (no shit, look it up).  Louis XIV, not only thought he was the greatest ruler, but also felt he was the Sun King and so had the church priest call him one.  Which the church happily did just as the Christians church today happily calls Donald Trump "Gods Handyman (paraphrased)." 


Louis XIV loved gold.  He had everything around him plastered in it:

Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles.

Trump hotels are usually gold, well, fake gold, but still, gold:

Trump’s triplex is a marble-and-onyx-covered ode to Versailles that he calls “comfortable modernism.” It is a $100 million penthouse that sits atop the Trump Tower on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue. (Scott Frances/Otto)

Finally, from Odyssey Magazine:

Louis XIV was known for his aggressive nature throughout his reign. He engaged France in wars that many historians look back on as unnecessary, and his foreign policy was less than forgiving. During the 1680s, Louis XIV generated public hostility, creating tension and stunting growth among France's rigid class system. 

In a visit to New York's Trump Tower, one is easily amazed at the grandeur of Donald's shrine to himself. The entire building sparkles, and overwhelms the senses through the sheer excess present; individuals can see themselves on every single wall and are painted with a bronze shadow that falls over the entire interior. Guards check bags at the door, and watch the elevator to make sure only those with IDs are heading to the top. Four floors of glitter are open to the public eye, but after that only the very rich may continue. No matter what floor you're on, everything screams Trump: Trump Grill, a signature Trump clothing line, and Ivanka Trump's small jewelry case. Everything shouts Trump's name, singing of his fortune and fame.


The similarities between the Sun King and The Donald are uncanny. Slightly obsessed with themselves and able to dedicate an entire building in their honors? Check. Causing chaos? Check. Looking back to the original architectural cues of both buildings, a continued amazement of self-obsession can be easily noticed, and further comparisons of the two leaders increase with time. Louis XIV was controversial, without much of a soft side.  Trump is, well, Trump.


So, yes boys and girls, we are in a Vertigo Time Warp also known as a Solar Minimum.