investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--Just a reminder: In America, class war is disguised as cultural warfare, and cultural warfare is usu

Just a reminder: In America, class war is disguised as cultural warfare, and cultural warfare is usually cloaked in talk of race.

The class war in our country is business class vs. first class ; in automotive terms , it ’ s E-Class vs. S-Class .
Everybody ’ s comfortable .
And that produces some odd outcomes : Nobody ’ s going to do one goddamned thing about how they conduct business in Philadelphia or Chicago or any other corrupt , Democrat-dominated city , but there are going to be some “ new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility , ” and we are going to be treated to — joy of joys !
— a deep national discussion on whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it quite as good as other Broadway stars .
The bloody-snouted hyenas have looked up from the kill just long enough to announce the creation of the Goldman Sachs Fund for Racial Equity .
It ’ s always the same thing : Our newspapers are full of intense interest in Harvard ’ s admissions standards but have very little to say about New York City ’ s dropout rate .
People can ’ t help being fascinated with themselves and their peers .
If you want to know what is on the minds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class , it ’ s no secret .
They ’ ll tell you , if you ask — and if you don ’ t .
George Floyd is still dead .
Jacob Frey is still mayor of Minneapolis .
Medaria Arradondo is still the chief of police .
More than a third of black students will drop out of high school in Milwaukee .
But Forbes has announced a change in its in-house stylebook and will henceforth honor the woke convention of uppercase Black vs. lowercase white .
And George Floyd is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Minneapolis .
Medaria Arradondo is still the chief of police .
Oh , but they got James Bennet , the opinion editor at the New York Times .
And surely that is something ?
It is , indeed , a very useful illustration of the E-Class vs. S-Class divide .
Bennet was fired after purportedly endangering the lives of black Times staffers — a charge no mentally normal adult actually takes seriously — by publishing a guest column about the riots and the Insurrection Act by Senator Tom Cotton .
The campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America ’ s poor black communities as the workers of the world looked up , stunned , from page A24 of the New York Times — the venom came straight and undiluted from 620 Eighth Avenue , New York , N.Y. , with Bennet ’ s underlings and juniors more or less putting him on an ice floe and pushing him out to sea .
Bennet was pushed out on behalf of marginalized black Americans , which necessitated that Bennet immediately be replaced by .
.
.
a well-off white woman who went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pulitzer Prize for writing about that great loathsome theater of American middle-class anxiety : restaurants .
I ’ m reminded of what Kenneth Anderson said about the Occupy movement : In social theory , OWS is best understood not as a populist movement against the bankers , but instead as the breakdown of the New Class into its two increasingly disconnected parts .
The upper tier , the bankers-government bankers-super credentialed elites .
But also the lower tier , those who saw themselves entitled to a white collar job in the Virtue Industries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professions , the culture industry , the virtueocracies , the industries of therapeutic social control , as Christopher Lasch pointed out in his final book , The Revolt of the Elites .
The two tiers of the New Class have always had different sources of rents , however .
For the upper tier , since 1990 , it has come through its ability to take the benefits of generations of US social investment in education and sell that expertise across global markets – leveraging expertise and access to capital and technological markets in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the former communist world in desperate need of it .
As Lasch said , the revolt and flight of the elites , to marketize themselves globally as free agents – to take the social capital derived over many generations by American society , and to go live in the jet stream and extract returns on a global scale for that expertise .
But that expertise is now largely commodified – to paraphrase David Swenson on financial engineering , that kind of universal expertise is commodified , cheaply available , and no longer commands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come under pressure , the Global New Class has come home , looking to command premiums through privileged access to the public-private divide – access most visible at the moment as virtuous new technology projects that turn out to be mere crony capitalism .
The lower tier is in a different situation and always has been .
It is characterized by status-income disequilibrium , to borrow from David Brooks ; it cultivates the sensibilities of the upper tier New Class , but does not have the ability to globalize its rent extraction .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ therapeutic authoritarianism ( the social workers as well as the public safety workers ) , the virtuecrats , the regulatory class , etc.
, have a problem – they mostly service and manage individuals , the client-consumers of the welfare state .
Their rents are not leveraged very much , certainly not globally , and are limited to what amounts to an hourly wage .
The method of ramping up wages , however , is through public employee unions and their own special ability to access the public-private divide .
But , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works , because it has overreached and overleveraged , to the point that even the system ’ s most sympathetic politicians understand that it can not pay up .
The upper tier is still doing pretty well .
But the lower tier of the New Class – the machine by which universities trained young people to become minor regulators and then delivered them into white collar positions on the basis of credentials in history , political science , literature , ethnic and women ’ s studies – with or without the benefit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The supply is uninterrupted , but the demand has dried up .
The agony of the students getting dumped at the far end of the supply chain is in large part the OWS .
As Above the Law points out , here is “ John , ” who got out of undergrad , spent a year unemployed and living at home , and is now apparently at University of Vermont law school , with its top ranked environmental law program – John wants to work at a “ nonprofit.
” Indeed .
Plus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , class war is disguised as cultural warfare , and cultural warfare is usually cloaked in talk of race .

CLASS WAR: Consider this passage:
The class war in our country is business class vs. first class; in automotive terms, it’s E-Class vs. S-Class. Everybody’s comfortable. And that produces some odd outcomes: Nobody’s going to do one goddamned thing about how they conduct business in Philadelphia or Chicago or any other corrupt, Democrat-dominated city, but there are going to be some “new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility,” and we are going to be treated to — joy of joys! — a deep national discussion on whether some Broadway stars don’t have it quite as good as other Broadway stars. The bloody-snouted hyenas have looked up from the kill just long enough to announce the creation of the Goldman Sachs Fund for Racial Equity. It’s always the same thing: Our newspapers are full of intense interest in Harvard’s admissions standards but have very little to say about New York City’s dropout rate. People can’t help being fascinated with themselves and their peers. If you want to know what is on the minds of the leaders of the American ruling class, it’s no secret. They’ll tell you, if you ask — and if you don’t. George Floyd is still dead. Jacob Frey is still mayor of Minneapolis. Medaria Arradondo is still the chief of police. More than a third of black students will drop out of high school in Milwaukee. But Forbes has announced a change in its in-house stylebook and will henceforth honor the woke convention of uppercase Black vs. lowercase white. And George Floyd is still dead. Jacob Frey is still mayor of Minneapolis. Medaria Arradondo is still the chief of police. Oh, but they got James Bennet, the opinion editor at the New York Times. And surely that is something? It is, indeed, a very useful illustration of the E-Class vs. S-Class divide. Bennet was fired after purportedly endangering the lives of black Times staffers — a charge no mentally normal adult actually takes seriously — by publishing a guest column about the riots and the Insurrection Act by Senator Tom Cotton. The campaign to end Bennet did not come from America’s poor black communities as the workers of the world looked up, stunned, from page A24 of the New York Times — the venom came straight and undiluted from 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y., with Bennet’s underlings and juniors more or less putting him on an ice floe and pushing him out to sea. Bennet was pushed out on behalf of marginalized black Americans, which necessitated that Bennet immediately be replaced by . . . a well-off white woman who went to Georgetown and Columbia and won a Pulitzer Prize for writing about that great loathsome theater of American middle-class anxiety: restaurants.
I’m reminded of what Kenneth Anderson said about the Occupy movement:
In social theory, OWS is best understood not as a populist movement against the bankers, but instead as the breakdown of the New Class into its two increasingly disconnected parts. The upper tier, the bankers-government bankers-super credentialed elites. But also the lower tier, those who saw themselves entitled to a white collar job in the Virtue Industries of government and non-profits – the helping professions, the culture industry, the virtueocracies, the industries of therapeutic social control, as Christopher Lasch pointed out in his final book, The Revolt of the Elites. The two tiers of the New Class have always had different sources of rents, however. For the upper tier, since 1990, it has come through its ability to take the benefits of generations of US social investment in education and sell that expertise across global markets – leveraging expertise and access to capital and technological markets in the 1990s to places in Asia and the former communist world in desperate need of it. As Lasch said, the revolt and flight of the elites, to marketize themselves globally as free agents – to take the social capital derived over many generations by American society, and to go live in the jet stream and extract returns on a global scale for that expertise. But that expertise is now largely commodified – to paraphrase David Swenson on financial engineering, that kind of universal expertise is commodified, cheaply available, and no longer commands much premium. As those returns have come under pressure, the Global New Class has come home, looking to command premiums through privileged access to the public-private divide – access most visible at the moment as virtuous new technology projects that turn out to be mere crony capitalism. The lower tier is in a different situation and always has been. It is characterized by status-income disequilibrium, to borrow from David Brooks; it cultivates the sensibilities of the upper tier New Class, but does not have the ability to globalize its rent extraction. The helping professions, the professions of therapeutic authoritarianism (the social workers as well as the public safety workers), the virtuecrats, the regulatory class, etc., have a problem – they mostly service and manage individuals, the client-consumers of the welfare state. Their rents are not leveraged very much, certainly not globally, and are limited to what amounts to an hourly wage. The method of ramping up wages, however, is through public employee unions and their own special ability to access the public-private divide. But, as everyone understands, that model no longer works, because it has overreached and overleveraged, to the point that even the system’s most sympathetic politicians understand that it cannot pay up. The upper tier is still doing pretty well. But the lower tier of the New Class – the machine by which universities trained young people to become minor regulators and then delivered them into white collar positions on the basis of credentials in history, political science, literature, ethnic and women’s studies – with or without the benefit of law school – has broken down. The supply is uninterrupted, but the demand has dried up. The agony of the students getting dumped at the far end of the supply chain is in large part the OWS. As Above the Law points out, here is “John,” who got out of undergrad, spent a year unemployed and living at home, and is now apparently at University of Vermont law school, with its top ranked environmental law program – John wants to work at a “nonprofit.”
Indeed. Plus, just a reminder: In America, class war is disguised as cultural warfare, and cultural warfare is usually cloaked in talk of race.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Related: A New Class Problem.
h/t Glenn Reynolds


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--“WE ARE ALL SOCIALIST NOW,” THE WASHINGTON POST* ADMITTED IN 2009, AND THE PAPER’S MAOIST STRUGGLE S

“WE ARE ALL SOCIALIST NOW,” THE WASHINGTON POST* ADMITTED IN 2009, AND THE PAPER’S MAOIST STRUGGLE SESSIONS HAVE NOW BEGUN:

WashPost Exposes Its Own Cartoonist Tom Toles Lying About Friend in Blackface at His House .
The intensity of feelings @ @ @ @ @ leading to surprising revelations .
On Wednesday afternoon , The Washington Post reported that its @ @ @ @ @ Tom Toles allowed a woman to wear blackface at his 2018 Halloween party – mocking @ @ @ @ @ about children ’ s Halloween costumes on Today – and then lied to people who @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t know who she was .
This is the same Tom Toles who @ @ @ @ @ opponents to segregationist Alabama Democrat George Wallace , and the same cartoonist who mocked opponents @ @ @ @ @ they thought ‘ I am so sick of not being able to insult and belittle @ @ @ @ @ Davis of The Federalist tweeted out this story , tsk-tsking : “ The blackface is @ @ @ @ @ Post .
These are the people who ’ ve appointed themselves the arbiters of who @ @ @ @ @ .
”

WashPost Exposes Its Own Cartoonist Tom Toles Lying About Friend in Blackface at His House.
The intensity of feelings about race inside newsrooms is leading to surprising revelations. On Wednesday afternoon, The Washington Post reported that its own staunchly liberal political cartoonist Tom Toles allowed a woman to wear blackface at his 2018 Halloween party – mocking Megyn Kelly’s comments about children’s Halloween costumes on Today – and then lied to people who were upset, claiming he didn’t know who she was.
This is the same Tom Toles who did a cartoon comparing Obamacare opponents to segregationist Alabama Democrat George Wallace, and the same cartoonist who mocked opponents of political correctness, claiming they thought ‘I am so sick of not being able to insult and belittle women and minorities.”
* * * * * * * *
Sean Davis of The Federalist tweeted out this story, tsk-tsking: “The blackface is coming from inside the Washington Post. These are the people who’ve appointed themselves the arbiters of who is and is not racist.”


Japanification meets Robinization

The value proposition of this market now is that new, inexperienced, financially desperate traders are really excited that the market is being spurred on by massive amounts of stimulus. Japanification meets Robinization. — Brad Huston (@BradHuston) June 17, 2020
If this isn’t the sign of a market top idk what is pic.twitter.com/aytaI7gowJ — g (@garlandrg) June 17, 2020
Corporate bond yields are at all-time lows. Prices are at record highs. The Fed is "leveraging" CARES funds (creating money) to buy these bonds FROM INVESTORS, at public risk. They are not guaranteed by the U.S. govt, nor backed by 13(3) collateral. Looters and counterfeiters. t.co/kBTWwefyn5 — John P. Hussman (@hussmanjp) June 17, 2020
Rather amazingly, total corporate liabilities as a proportion of GDP hit a record high *before* the pandemic and emergency stimulus measures. Via @creditsights: pic.twitter.com/nZSumGAlxc — Tracy Alloway (@tracyalloway) June 17, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--1.8trn of $SPX options expiring on Friday – making it the THIRD-largest non-December expiration on r

1.8trn of $ SPX options expiring on Friday – making it the THIRD-largest non-December expiration on record – in additional @ @ @ @ @ and 250bn of options on SPX and SPX e-mini futures .
H/T S.H .

1.8trn of $SPX options expiring on Friday – making it the THIRD-largest non-December expiration on record – in additional to 230bn of SPY options and 250bn of options on SPX and SPX e-mini futures. H/T S.H.
— Thomas Thornton (@TommyThornton) June 17, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--Sick, Twisted and Evil – Six eBay Executives Charged With Disturbing Cyberstalking. This is what hap

Sick, Twisted and Evil – Six eBay Executives Charged With Disturbing Cyberstalking. This is what happens when Antifa-types get jobs.

This is so purposefully evil it almost seems unbelievable .
If you ever wondered how twisted and deranged a group of Silicon Valley executives could be this might provide some context .
This is what happens when Antifa-types get jobs .
Massachusetts DOJ – “ Six former employees of eBay , Inc. have been charged with leading a cyberstalking campaign targeting the editor and publisher of a newsletter that eBay executives viewed as critical of the company .
The alleged harassment included sending the couple anonymous , threatening messages , disturbing deliveries – including a box of live cockroaches , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask – and conducting covert surveillance of the victims.
” Oh , it gets worse .
WATCH : James Baugh , 45 , of San Jose , Calif. , eBay ’ s former Senior Director of Safety & Security , was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses .
David Harville , 48 , of New York City , eBay ’ s former Director of Global Resiliency , was arrested this morning in New York City on the same charges and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York .
In addition the following defendants were charged in an Information unsealed today : Stephanie Popp , 32 , of San Jose , eBay ’ s former Senior Manager of Global Intelligence ; Stephanie Stockwell , 26 , of Redwood City , Calif. , the former manager of eBay ’ s Global Intelligence Center ( GIC ) ; Veronica Zea , 26 , of San Jose , a former eBay contractor who worked as an intelligence analyst in the GIC ; and Brian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a former Senior Manager of Special Operations for eBay ’ s Global Security Team .
They are each charged with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses and will make appearances in federal court in Boston at a later date .
( MORE )

This is so purposefully evil it almost seems unbelievable. If you ever wondered how twisted and deranged a group of Silicon Valley executives could be this might provide some context. This is what happens when Antifa-types get jobs.
Massachusetts DOJ – “Six former employees of eBay, Inc. have been charged with leading a cyberstalking campaign targeting the editor and publisher of a newsletter that eBay executives viewed as critical of the company. The alleged harassment included sending the couple anonymous, threatening messages, disturbing deliveries – including a box of live cockroaches, a funeral wreath and a bloody pig mask – and conducting covert surveillance of the victims.”
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Oh, it gets worse. WATCH:


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--Far left Rioting BACKFIRES As Armed Counter Groups Strike Back, Regular Americans Have Said ENOUGH

This is Olivia Hull , born in Cedar Springs , lives in Detroit with 2 of her kids , took @ @ @ @ @ with other rioters last night…Supposedly paid $ 200 each to riot , given lead pipes @ @ @ @ @ MakeHerFamous pic.twitter.com/p6MV3fBWjO

This is Olivia Hull, born in Cedar Springs, lives in Detroit with 2 of her kids, took a bus to Gr Rapids with other rioters last night…Supposedly paid $200 each to riot, given lead pipes and these instructions. " #MakeHerFamous pic.twitter.com/p6MV3fBWjO
— ✨SafeWord: Apples ✨ (@SafeWordApples) June 1, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--Class I Freight Railroads Push For One-Man Train Crews and Trump and the Republicans appear to be ok

Class I Freight Railroads Push For One-Man Train Crews and Trump and the Republicans appear to be okay with it

I voted for Trump but if he doesn ’ t reverse course on this issue of one-man train crews , he can kiss goodbye the votes of blue collar workers in the Blue Wall states who are the ones who handed him the Presidency in 2016 .
He ’ s putting the interests of the Railroads ( which are still run at the top with the robber baron , corporate raider mentality ) ahead of public safety and blue collar workers .
I have friends and family who work as trainmen , carmen and machinists and they all tell me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away with one-man crews , eventually they will go to no-man crews .
The automation technology and infrastructure is already in place .
Railroaders will go on a nationwide strike if it looks like one-man crews will pass Congress with Trump ’ s blessing “ WASHINGTON — After hinting at it for months , Class I railroads have officially asked that single-person crews be part of a new national contract with a coalition of a dozen labor unions .
The request — formally outlined in the Section 6 notice issued last Friday [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to unions to launch new rounds of labor talks , ” Trains News Wire , Nov. 1 , 2019 ] — will undoubtedly be met with stiff resistance from union officials who say single-person crews are a non-starter .
In the seven-page Section 6 notice , railroads call for conductors to be taken out of the locomotive cab to become a “ ground-based ” position .
The Section 6 notice was issued by the National Carriers ’ Conference Committee , representing BNSF Railway , CSX Transportation , Kansas City Southern , Norfolk Southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owned directly or indirectly by Canadian National .
The plan is similar to one that BNSF Railway negotiated with SMART-TD General Committee GO-001 back in 2014 that called for having a single-person aboard each train and a conductor in an automobile working with multiple trains on a specific territory .
That proposal was later rejected by a 5-to-1 margin in a committee-wide vote… ”

I voted for Trump but if he doesn’t reverse course on this issue of one-man train crews, he can kiss goodbye the votes of blue collar workers in the Blue Wall states who are the ones who handed him the Presidency in 2016. He’s putting the interests of the Railroads (which are still run at the top with the robber baron, corporate raider mentality) ahead of public safety and blue collar workers. I have friends and family who work as trainmen, carmen and machinists and they all tell me that if the Class I Railroads get away with one-man crews, eventually they will go to no-man crews. The automation technology and infrastructure is already in place. Railroaders will go on a nationwide strike if it looks like one-man crews will pass Congress with Trump’s blessing
“WASHINGTON — After hinting at it for months, Class I railroads have officially asked that single-person crews be part of a new national contract with a coalition of a dozen labor unions.
The request — formally outlined in the Section 6 notice issued last Friday [see “Freight railroads issue bargaining notice to unions to launch new rounds of labor talks,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 1, 2019] — will undoubtedly be met with stiff resistance from union officials who say single-person crews are a non-starter.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
In the seven-page Section 6 notice, railroads call for conductors to be taken out of the locomotive cab to become a “ground-based” position. The Section 6 notice was issued by the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, representing BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and the U.S. railroads owned directly or indirectly by Canadian National. The plan is similar to one that BNSF Railway negotiated with SMART-TD General Committee GO-001 back in 2014 that called for having a single-person aboard each train and a conductor in an automobile working with multiple trains on a specific territory. That proposal was later rejected by a 5-to-1 margin in a committee-wide vote…”
trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2019/11/05-class-i-roads-make-official-their-desire-for-one-man-crews
h/t TheOriginalMexicanBob


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--Target raises minimum wage to $15 & gives $200 bonus to all employees to recognize their work during

Target raises minimum wage to $15 & gives $200 bonus to all employees to recognize their work during the coronavirus

• All of Target ’ s hourly employees will make at least $ 15 an hour starting July 5 .
• Employees will also receive a one-time bonus of $ 200 to recognize their work during the coronavirus pandemic .
• The retailer had previously pledged to raise its minimum wage to $ 15 by the end of 2020 .
Target said Wednesday it is raising its minimum wage to $ 15 per hour and will give all hourly employees a one-time bonus of $ 200 .
The $ 2 per hour raise will apply to employees at stores and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Target had temporarily raised its wages by $ 2 an hour in March as coronavirus cases rose .
The bonuses , which recognize part-time and full-time employees ’ work during the pandemic , will be paid out at the end of July , according to the company , which has more than 350,000 employees and nearly 1,900 stores across the U.S. Target ’ s announcement is the culmination of several years of raising employee pay .
Three years ago , the retailer announced a plan to increase its starting hourly pay from $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It raised the minimum wage to $ 13 an hour last June and pledged to raise it to $ 15 an hour by the end of 2020 .

All of Target’s hourly employees will make at least $15 an hour starting July 5.
Employees will also receive a one-time bonus of $200 to recognize their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
The retailer had previously pledged to raise its minimum wage to $15 by the end of 2020.
Target said Wednesday it is raising its minimum wage to $15 per hour and will give all hourly employees a one-time bonus of $200.
The $2 per hour raise will apply to employees at stores and distribution centers, beginning July 5. Target had temporarily raised its wages by $2 an hour in March as coronavirus cases rose.
The bonuses, which recognize part-time and full-time employees’ work during the pandemic, will be paid out at the end of July, according to the company, which has more than 350,000 employees and nearly 1,900 stores across the U.S.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Target’s announcement is the culmination of several years of raising employee pay. Three years ago, the retailer announced a plan to increase its starting hourly pay from $10 to $15 over three years. It raised the minimum wage to $13 an hour last June and pledged to raise it to $15 an hour by the end of 2020.
www.cnbc.com/2020/06/17/target-raises-minimum-wage-to-15-an-hour-months-before-its-deadline.html


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--Terry Crews won’t back down on black supremacy warning, says black people should be allowed to be re

Terry Crews won’t back down on black supremacy warning, says black people should be allowed to be republicans or libertarians

Me , me x1000 Terry Crews is my hero dude .
He ’ s talented in a million ways , has a heart of gold , full of integrity , consistent in his convictions , and is one of the most courageous men out there .
• While in the NFL he painted gorgeous portraits of his teammates as a side gig .
• We ’ ve all seen his dance moves .
• He noticed some distance forming between his son , a computer gamer , and him , an outdoorsy athletic type .
So what did he do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out for help , and built his son a fucking baller ass gaming computer so they could game together .
Not to mention him taking on the cock grabbing pedo rapist producers in Hollywood .
If you can , I beg you to reach out to Terry with at least 3 impressions .
Comment with some support under his social media , tweet at/about him , like his videos on YouTube .
Whatever you can to show support , I would absolutely lose hope if he of all people submits to the mob @

Me, me x1000
Terry Crews is my hero dude. He’s talented in a million ways, has a heart of gold, full of integrity, consistent in his convictions, and is one of the most courageous men out there.
While in the NFL he painted gorgeous portraits of his teammates as a side gig.
We’ve all seen his dance moves.
He’s extremely well disciplined and hard working
He noticed some distance forming between his son, a computer gamer, and him, an outdoorsy athletic type. So what did he do? He did his research, reached out for help, and built his son a fucking baller ass gaming computer so they could game together.
Not to mention him taking on the cock grabbing pedo rapist producers in Hollywood.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
If you can, I beg you to reach out to Terry with at least 3 impressions. Comment with some support under his social media, tweet at/about him, like his videos on YouTube. Whatever you can to show support, I would absolutely lose hope if he of all people submits to the mob.
h/t Cameron


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--The biggest SCAM in history it’s happening now

millions of people are being robbed by a dozen , and people is blaming each other

millions of people are being robbed by a dozen, and people is blaming each other
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-18--AI, Algorithms, Targeted ads, cell phones with ears, online privacy, etc. How bad is it going to get

AI, Algorithms, Targeted ads, cell phones with ears, online privacy, etc. How bad is it going to get?

So I ’ m the dude with a flip phone .
No Google ( cept for on my fliphone brower .
Can ’ t get DuckDuckGo on there ) .
No Netflix or any of that crap .
No social media .
No Amazon Prime .
For a few years now I ’ ve been avoiding that crap like the plague .
Wife still ingests that crap on a daily basis , stares at her phone a good bit , and I ’ m around that .
As time has gone by , I have come to notice coincidence after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even stuff recommended on Reddit .
Not just for stuff like a beer brewing kit or what I might look at online .
But stuff that is just so downright accurate and intrusive , its creepy .
A while back , I was talking to my wife .
“ Hey , I ’ m about to go fishing at the lake .
I ’ m gon na drop the boat in and go fishing .
Boat .
Fishing .
Lake.
” Go to check the weather on the nearby Mac Desktop , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is and ad for checking your boat and trailer at the boat ramp for invasive aquatic hitchhikers .
Talking to a buddy months ago .
We were casually talking about flying .
Buddy starts talking about how nice first class is .
The next day I get an ad for discounted first class plane tickets .
Recently at work some dudes were telling me to watch the movie “ Training Day ” with Denzel Washington .
I flip open the clam phone , go to search in the Google search tab , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top recommendation in the drop down menu is the movie , Training Day .
With only me typing in “ training.
” What about training shoes ?
Training pants ?
Training this or that ?
WTF !
!
!
They started calling me “ Ned Flanders ” at work .
Wife tells me she was on Reddit and was recommended a sub/thread for some metal band based off of Ned Flanders .
Neither one of us had searched anything about Ned Flanders or the Simpsons recently .
I watched “ The Patriot ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I watched “ Godzilla ” on VHS the night before that .
Wife tells me she turned on Netflix today and the top two rec ’ s were The Patriot and Godzilla .
Today I was drinking a Yuengling beer , listening to music on Youtube .
Ad pops of for Yuenlgling beer .
Never seen a Yuengling ad before .
I could go on and on with examples .
Now that I have an eye out , the coincidences just keep stacking and stacking .
Maybe some of them are just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeted ads based off of what I ’ ve searched for in the past ( DuckDuckGo , Firefox Browser . )
Maybe I ’ m nuts !
But I just keep noticing these things more and more , and they get deeper and deeper , down to the second , to the point where its got me wondering what in the hell is going on .
I know there are algorithms , data tracking apps , stuff I don ’ t understand .
I mean , I don ’ t believe there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut listening and tracking everything I say and do , but some of these coincidences are just absolutely ridiculous , because the only way they could happen would be if my phone is listening and updating data by the split second , or other people ’ s phones that are nearby are !
I just don ’ t even know .
There was a time when I was a bit paranoid , maybe even afraid .
Now I ’ m more annoyed and wary .
To what extent does these data-tracking processes go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of data ?
Every day that goes by it just keeps getting more and more obvious , more alarmingly ridiculous coincidences , my wife sees them too !
What really got me was the VHS tapes .
Not just one movie we watched , but TWO .
Both from the mid 90s , early 2000s .
Both popping up on recommended Netflix .
Lem me hear your thoughts .
Tell me I ’ m nuts !
Tell me you see it too !
Tell me how far you think its gon na go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can get this data for selling us stuff , suggesting movies , what else can they use this data for ?
What about privacy !
!
?

by JimmyDangleton
So I’m the dude with a flip phone. No Google (cept for on my fliphone brower. Can’t get DuckDuckGo on there). No Netflix or any of that crap. No social media. No Amazon Prime. For a few years now I’ve been avoiding that crap like the plague. Wife still ingests that crap on a daily basis, stares at her phone a good bit, and I’m around that.
As time has gone by, I have come to notice coincidence after coincidence with targeted ads, recommended videos/movies, even stuff recommended on Reddit. Not just for stuff like a beer brewing kit or what I might look at online. But stuff that is just so downright accurate and intrusive, its creepy.
A while back, I was talking to my wife. “Hey, I’m about to go fishing at the lake. I’m gonna drop the boat in and go fishing. Boat. Fishing. Lake.” Go to check the weather on the nearby Mac Desktop, ad that pops up on the side is and ad for checking your boat and trailer at the boat ramp for invasive aquatic hitchhikers.
Talking to a buddy months ago. We were casually talking about flying. Buddy starts talking about how nice first class is. The next day I get an ad for discounted first class plane tickets.
Recently at work some dudes were telling me to watch the movie “Training Day” with Denzel Washington. I flip open the clam phone, go to search in the Google search tab, I type in “Training” and the top recommendation in the drop down menu is the movie, Training Day. With only me typing in “training.” What about training shoes? Training pants? Training this or that? WTF!!!
They started calling me “Ned Flanders” at work. Wife tells me she was on Reddit and was recommended a sub/thread for some metal band based off of Ned Flanders. Neither one of us had searched anything about Ned Flanders or the Simpsons recently.
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I watched “The Patriot” on VHS the other night. Wife and I watched “Godzilla” on VHS the night before that. Wife tells me she turned on Netflix today and the top two rec’s were The Patriot and Godzilla.
Today I was drinking a Yuengling beer, listening to music on Youtube. Ad pops of for Yuenlgling beer. Never seen a Yuengling ad before.
I could go on and on with examples. Now that I have an eye out, the coincidences just keep stacking and stacking. Maybe some of them are just coincidences. And yeah, there are targeted ads based off of what I’ve searched for in the past (DuckDuckGo, Firefox Browser.)
Maybe I’m nuts! But I just keep noticing these things more and more, and they get deeper and deeper, down to the second, to the point where its got me wondering what in the hell is going on. I know there are algorithms, data tracking apps, stuff I don’t understand. I mean, I don’t believe there is a beetle-like man with a balding bowl cut listening and tracking everything I say and do, but some of these coincidences are just absolutely ridiculous, because the only way they could happen would be if my phone is listening and updating data by the split second, or other people’s phones that are nearby are! I just don’t even know.
There was a time when I was a bit paranoid, maybe even afraid. Now I’m more annoyed and wary. To what extent does these data-tracking processes go? The listening? The instantaneous gathering of data? Every day that goes by it just keeps getting more and more obvious, more alarmingly ridiculous coincidences, my wife sees them too!
What really got me was the VHS tapes. Not just one movie we watched, but TWO. Both from the mid 90s, early 2000s. Both popping up on recommended Netflix.
Lemme hear your thoughts. Tell me I’m nuts! Tell me you see it too! Tell me how far you think its gonna go and what it means. Because if they can get this data for selling us stuff, suggesting movies, what else can they use this data for? What about privacy!!?


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-19--The Conservative Effort To Reshape The Supreme Court Has Completely And Utterly Failed

It is time to admit the truth .
Throughout my entire lifetime , Republican presidential candidates have promised us that if we help get them elected they will move the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction .
But it hasn ’ t happened .
A Republican has been in the White House for 31 of the last 51 years , and yet the left has enjoyed a virtually uninterrupted string of historic Supreme Court victories throughout that entire stretch .
And even though a majority of the justices on the Supreme Court right now have been appointed by Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major victory after another .
The reason why this has happened is because Republicans have failed over and over again to nominate true conservatives to the Supreme Court .
At this point , only Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito can really be considered “ conservatives ” , and that means that liberal causes will continue to march forward at the Supreme Court for the foreseeable future .
Have you noticed that the liberal justices always vote the way that the left wants them to vote on key issues ?
That is because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it comes to the Supreme Court .
Historically , they have always selected their nominees very , very carefully , and so they always knew exactly what they were getting .
On the other hand , conservatives have been conned into supporting Supreme Court nominees that were either “ moderate ” or openly liberal for decades .
It all started with Richard Nixon .
He nominated four justices to the Supreme Court , but instead of a more conservative court we ended up with Roe v. Wade .
Reagan and Bush combined to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court , but Sandra Day O ’ Connor , Anthony Kennedy and David Souter all turned out to be quite liberal .
George W. Bush gave us John Roberts , and conservatives all over the country cheered when he was confirmed .
But he has also turned out to be very liberal .
He has repeatedly voted with the liberal wing of the Court , and on Thursday he once again voted with them in the DACA case .
President Trump was quite upset that the Supreme Court overturned his decision to repeal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tweet calling for people to vote for him in November so that he can appoint “ new justices ” … President Trump , in the wake of Thursday ’ s defeat at the Supreme Court in his efforts to repeal the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program , called for new justices as conservatives took aim at Chief Justice John Roberts for what they called a “ pattern ” of siding with the liberal wing in key decisions .
“ The recent Supreme Court decisions , not only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and others , tell you only one thing , we need NEW JUSTICES of the Supreme Court .
If the Radical Left Democrats assume power , your Second Amendment , Right to Life , Secure Borders , and … Religious Liberty , among many other things , are OVER and GONE !
” he tweeted .
If Trump had nominated rock solid conservatives so far , he would have a valid point .
But he did not do that .
Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have both turned out to be major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually wrote the opinion for the Supreme Court decision that ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to LGBTQ employees .
And even though Kavanaugh dissented for technical reasons , he still had very high praise for the decision… There were millions upon millions of conservative Americans that strongly supported Gorsuch and Kavanaugh as nominees , and now they realize that they got conned .
Of course this never would have happened if they had been vetted properly in the first place .
With Gorsuch , there was much to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Kavanaugh when he was nominated , but voices such as mine were completely drowned out by the flood of conservatives that were vigorously backing him .
They saw how much the left hated Kavanaugh , and so they assumed that he must be good .
But now we know the truth .
In any event , any future efforts to reshape the Supreme Court may come to a crashing halt if Joe Biden wins in November .
A new Fox News poll has Biden up by 12 points , and Biden is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At this point , it would take an enormous political miracle for Trump to win .
Of course we did see such a miracle in 2016 , and in this political environment anything is still possible .
But even if Trump wins , would conservatives really be happy with more Supreme Court nominees like Gorsuch and Kavanaugh ?
Ever since Richard Nixon first entered the White House , there has been opportunity after opportunity to move the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction , and the ball has been dropped time after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a colossal failure of epic proportions , and it is one of the big reasons why our nation is such a giant mess today .

by Michael Snyder
It is time to admit the truth. Throughout my entire lifetime, Republican presidential candidates have promised us that if we help get them elected they will move the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction. But it hasn’t happened. A Republican has been in the White House for 31 of the last 51 years, and yet the left has enjoyed a virtually uninterrupted string of historic Supreme Court victories throughout that entire stretch. And even though a majority of the justices on the Supreme Court right now have been appointed by Republicans, the left continues to win one major victory after another.
The reason why this has happened is because Republicans have failed over and over again to nominate true conservatives to the Supreme Court. At this point, only Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito can really be considered “conservatives”, and that means that liberal causes will continue to march forward at the Supreme Court for the foreseeable future.
Have you noticed that the liberal justices always vote the way that the left wants them to vote on key issues?
That is because the left doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to the Supreme Court. Historically, they have always selected their nominees very, very carefully, and so they always knew exactly what they were getting.
On the other hand, conservatives have been conned into supporting Supreme Court nominees that were either “moderate” or openly liberal for decades.
It all started with Richard Nixon. He nominated four justices to the Supreme Court, but instead of a more conservative court we ended up with Roe v. Wade.
Reagan and Bush combined to appoint five new justices to the Supreme Court, but Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony Kennedy and David Souter all turned out to be quite liberal.
George W. Bush gave us John Roberts, and conservatives all over the country cheered when he was confirmed.
But he has also turned out to be very liberal. He has repeatedly voted with the liberal wing of the Court, and on Thursday he once again voted with them in the DACA case.
President Trump was quite upset that the Supreme Court overturned his decision to repeal DACA, and he immediately sent out a tweet calling for people to vote for him in November so that he can appoint “new justices”…
President Trump, in the wake of Thursday’s defeat at the Supreme Court in his efforts to repeal the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, called for new justices as conservatives took aim at Chief Justice John Roberts for what they called a “pattern” of siding with the liberal wing in key decisions. “The recent Supreme Court decisions, not only on DACA, Sanctuary Cities, Census, and others, tell you only one thing, we need NEW JUSTICES of the Supreme Court. If the Radical Left Democrats assume power, your Second Amendment, Right to Life, Secure Borders, and … Religious Liberty, among many other things, are OVER and GONE!” he tweeted.
If Trump had nominated rock solid conservatives so far, he would have a valid point.
But he did not do that.
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Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have both turned out to be major disasters. Earlier this week, Gorsuch actually wrote the opinion for the Supreme Court decision that ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to LGBTQ employees. And even though Kavanaugh dissented for technical reasons, he still had very high praise for the decision…
“Millions of gay and lesbian Americans have worked hard for many decades to achieve equal treatment in fact and law. … They have advanced powerful policy arguments and can take pride in today’s result.”
There were millions upon millions of conservative Americans that strongly supported Gorsuch and Kavanaugh as nominees, and now they realize that they got conned.
Of course this never would have happened if they had been vetted properly in the first place.
With Gorsuch, there was much to be concerned about…
Neil Gorsuch’s treacherous deception was predictable, given the fact that Judge Gorsuch attended the ultra-liberal St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado. His pastor, Rev. Susan Woodward Springer, is pro-LGBT, pro same-sex marriage and anti-Trump. Following the election of Donald J. Trump, she wrote that “her congregation should strive to behave as godly people who spread hope even though ‘the world is clasping its head in its hands and crying out in fear.’” That Sunday, following Trump’s victory, Neil Gorsuch was an usher in the morning service.
And I was strongly warning about Kavanaugh when he was nominated, but voices such as mine were completely drowned out by the flood of conservatives that were vigorously backing him. They saw how much the left hated Kavanaugh, and so they assumed that he must be good.
But now we know the truth.
In any event, any future efforts to reshape the Supreme Court may come to a crashing halt if Joe Biden wins in November. A new Fox News poll has Biden up by 12 points, and Biden is doing particular well with certain demographic groups…
Biden has a 79-point advantage among black voters, a 37-point advantage among young people, a 22-point lead in the suburbs, and a 19-point lead among women. He also leads among voters over the age of 65 by 10 points. Trump, meanwhile, leads by 41 points among evangelicals, although he carried Christians by 64 points in 2016. He leads by 9 points among rural voters, a demographic he won by 27 points in the last election.
At this point, it would take an enormous political miracle for Trump to win.
Of course we did see such a miracle in 2016, and in this political environment anything is still possible.
But even if Trump wins, would conservatives really be happy with more Supreme Court nominees like Gorsuch and Kavanaugh?
Ever since Richard Nixon first entered the White House, there has been opportunity after opportunity to move the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction, and the ball has been dropped time after time.
Collectively, it has been a colossal failure of epic proportions, and it is one of the big reasons why our nation is such a giant mess today.


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-19--Florida Keys now requiring face masks until June 2021!

The city of Key West already had this stricter ruling in place , but unincorporated parts of the Keys had @ @ @ @ @ the guidelines set forth by Gov .
Ron DeSantis ’ statewide Phase 2 of his @ @ @ @ @ June 5 .

The city of Key West already had this stricter ruling in place, but unincorporated parts of the Keys had relaxed such requirements, following the guidelines set forth by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ statewide Phase 2 of his reopening plan that began on June 5.


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-20--“We’re going to be making a 20% return every single day”… “Smush letters and buy it.”

While on hold with $ JPM trying to access his credit line , Slick Willie calculates that he will be @ @ @ @ @ ?
? )
in 16 days and a billionaire in 60 days '' We 're @ @ @ @ @ 20 % return every single day '' pic.twitter.com/Ju35UifMdy

Crash incoming?
Continuing Saga of MillionaireCharlatan @WilliamKaraman
While on hold with $JPM trying to access his credit line, Slick Willie calculates that he will be a millionaire (again???) in 16 days and a billionaire in 60 days
"We're going to be making a 20% return every single day" pic.twitter.com/Ju35UifMdy
— GuruLeaks (@Guruleaks1) June 19, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-20--URGENT for diabetics: Metformin ER recall – USA and Canada

If you are taking Metformin ER and haven ’ t heard about the recall yet , call your doctor at @ @ @ @ @ health regulators are telling five drugmakers to recall their versions of a widely used diabetes @ @ @ @ @ elevated levels of a contaminant linked to cancer .
The Food and Drug Administration said @ @ @ @ @ of the drug metformin tested positive for unsafe levels of N-Nitrosodimethylamine ( NDMA ) .
@ @ @ @ @ of diabetes care , reducing excess sugar in the blood .
People with Type 2 @ @ @ @ @ with other drugs to help control their blood sugar levels .
More than 34 million @ @ @ @ @ this disease .
Patients should continue taking metformin drugs until their doctor can prescribe a @ @ @ @ @ This recall is for ‘ Metformin Hydrochloride Extended Release Tablets , USP , 500 mg @ @ @ @ @ manufactured by Amneal Pharmaceuticals , an American company based in New Jersey .

If you are taking Metformin ER and haven’t heard about the recall yet, call your doctor at once!
article from MAY 29, 2020
FDA orders 5 firms to recall diabetes drug metformin
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators are telling five drugmakers to recall their versions of a widely used diabetes medication after laboratory tests found elevated levels of a contaminant linked to cancer.
The Food and Drug Administration said late Thursday that several batches of the drug metformin tested positive for unsafe levels of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Metformin tablets are a staple of diabetes care, reducing excess sugar in the blood. People with Type 2 diabetes use metformin alone or with other drugs to help control their blood sugar levels. More than 34 million people in the U.S. have this disease.
Patients should continue taking metformin drugs until their doctor can prescribe a replacement
www.columbian.com/news/2020/may/29/fda-orders-5-firms-to-recall-diabetes-drug-metformin/
**Updated to add:
This recall is for ‘Metformin Hydrochloride Extended Release Tablets, USP, 500 mg and 750 mg’, manufactured by Amneal Pharmaceuticals, an American company based in New Jersey.


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-20--Social Media and OPSEC: How Much Information Are You Giving Away?

For many , the current situation has brought us lessons to learn .
Quarantine , crisis , and collapse : all of these events bring consequences that impact like a ton of bricks .
With the lack of decent jobs available ( something that in Venezuela has been hard to find since somewhere around 2012 ) it has been normal to see an increase in crime .
A young , uneducated population , will look for the means to provide for themselves in any manner they choose , including finding victims on social media .
Add drug and alcohol addiction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hand-basket very quickly .
Editor ’ s Note : Every time we post about social media , we get a barrage of comments about how you , personally , don ’ t use it .
I realize not everyone uses social media , but billions of people do .
Some people must maintain profiles for work or business purposes .
If this information isn ’ t applicable to you , personally , it might be helpful for someone you love , or this just might not be an article for you .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ me realize my paranoia is justified .
Even though I know better , I can be unwary sometimes , but not without good cause .
If we are not careful with what we share on social media it becomes inevitable that we will expose our entire lives to predators .
There are criminals watching for our personal information .
What these criminals find on social media can lead to very dangerous situations .
I can not give you the details , but using my own experience , I can offer suggestions that you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Related : Interview With Prepper : ‘ We Were Held Without Charges ’ For Survivalist Facebook Posts In current times it is best not to brag .
These days I believe it is the ghost-like man and his family who survive and thrive .
While it may seem celebrities are living a superb life , we do not know what is truly going on .
Leave the red carpet for the Kardashians .
Personally , I ’ d prefer living on top of a mountain , filtering rainwater to drink , and watching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our humble cottage .
Free , happy , and healthy , knowing that I am not a slave to the system and neither is my family .
Use social media only as a place to hang out and casually joke .
Sharing sensitive info is never advised .
My main motivation is to provide my readers with reliable information : real boots on the ground information .
Sometimes , I get distracted and post comments that I should not .
My recent experience has taught me there ARE people out there , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things to be true that are not .
Social media profiles may contain personal information which is surely being monitored by one or more of these lowlifes .
Trust me : my intention is not to scare anyone .
On the contrary , it is to make my readers aware of this .
No matter if you are a senior lady without a dime or a wealthy , educated retired college teacher : someone is out there looking for this personal information .
I limit my comments and mainly use Facebook due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some people I know , who are close to me , have had quite traumatic experiences with social media .
They are not wealthy , they live in a decent place , drive not-so-old cars .
Although with the levels Venezuela has been at for the last 20 years , I guess some lowlife could consider them wealthy enough .
These people I know live in a frontier city ; this means criminals usually know that after committing a crime there , once they cross the border , they will be relatively safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best .
It is very important to know that all the information we post online is available to everyone , everywhere .
Going completely offline is possible , but in a modern economy , is it really practical ?
How do we sell our products , if we are homesteaders , without belonging to a group or some online community ?
Sure , we could use the old-style phone calls , telemarketing style but it is highly time-consuming and maybe impractical compared to other methods , to achieve our goals .
Using social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) exclusively for our work is the best approach .
Our personal lives do not need to be known by others .
Especially those who may be looking for a way to take advantage of someone they have chosen as prey .
Don´t post about your armory or your panic room , your pantry full of food , nor your score in the range on social media .
These criminals will know you´re not a piece of cake , and take it on as a challenge .
The last thing you want is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you may be armed .
By the way , these guys are usually NOT the stereotypical lonely psycho you see in the movies .
They often attack in packs : two , three , or even four against one person they have found worthy .
One or two of them will come in close , the others will be nearby , just in case things get ugly .
Even if you neutralize two of them , the remaining others will hunt you down , just because they can .
They can´t afford to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win .
Many of them are linked to the “ uniforms ” , who provide them guns , ammo , and even transport and protection .
Although , the “ uniforms ” sometimes are the perpetrators .
Ask yourself the following questions .
What important information might you be giving away on social media ?
• What would a predator checking your profile be looking for ?
• What would look interesting to potential thieves ?
• Is any of the following information on your profile ?
• Do you work so often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Do you know personally all of those in your profile ?
• Do you suspect any “ friend ” profiles are fake ?
Do you really want your information online…forever ?
( once online , it stays online ) None of this should be in any of your social media profiles .
Related : Here ’ s How Easy It Is for Predators to Get Personal Information That Could Put YOU at Risk Predators know that kids are a good source of information .
Kids talk .
Especially to friendly adults .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” if an adult speaks to them .
Sadly , these criminals are only gathering information for an attack .
When my older son was around 14 or 15 , someone began asking him questions .
My son quickly realized this thug had bad intentions and gave him fake information .
But , do not underestimate these predators .
They are smart , and most of them know when they are being lied to .
If you are able , download and save a photo of anyone who asks you for information that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upper-class neighborhoods and the poor neighborhoods are only separated by a few hundred meters .
I am not saying that people living in poor neighborhoods are criminals , but the criminals are likely to live in those poor neighborhoods .
So , if you are driving a shiny new car , every day , by the poor barrio , you will likely end up being targeted .
If you are also sharing your personal information and your schedules and routines on social media , some of those criminals will be watching you .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the social media companies themselves are using your information .
That ’ s also a risk to your personal security and privacy .
Do you have any other tips for keeping your social media profile secure ?
I hope this information has been useful in optimizing your OPSEC ( operational security ) .
We just never know who has been browsing social media for hours , gathering information needed to put together a portfolio of potential victims .
One of those victims could be you .
Thanks for your comments , and your @ @ @ @ @ @

by J.G. Martinez D.
For many, the current situation has brought us lessons to learn. Quarantine, crisis, and collapse: all of these events bring consequences that impact like a ton of bricks. With the lack of decent jobs available (something that in Venezuela has been hard to find since somewhere around 2012) it has been normal to see an increase in crime. A young, uneducated population, will look for the means to provide for themselves in any manner they choose, including finding victims on social media. Add drug and alcohol addiction and things can go to hell in a hand-basket very quickly.
Editor’s Note: Every time we post about social media, we get a barrage of comments about how you, personally, don’t use it. I realize not everyone uses social media, but billions of people do. Some people must maintain profiles for work or business purposes. If this information isn’t applicable to you, personally, it might be helpful for someone you love, or this just might not be an article for you. – Daisy
A recent experience has made me realize my paranoia is justified.
Even though I know better, I can be unwary sometimes, but not without good cause. If we are not careful with what we share on social media it becomes inevitable that we will expose our entire lives to predators. There are criminals watching for our personal information. What these criminals find on social media can lead to very dangerous situations. I can not give you the details, but using my own experience, I can offer suggestions that you may find useful in certain situations.
In current times it is best not to brag. These days I believe it is the ghost-like man and his family who survive and thrive. While it may seem celebrities are living a superb life, we do not know what is truly going on. Leave the red carpet for the Kardashians. Personally, I’d prefer living on top of a mountain, filtering rainwater to drink, and watching my family asleep around the fire in our humble cottage. Free, happy, and healthy, knowing that I am not a slave to the system and neither is my family.
My advice? Be discreet.
Use social media only as a place to hang out and casually joke. Sharing sensitive info is never advised. My main motivation is to provide my readers with reliable information: real boots on the ground information. Sometimes, I get distracted and post comments that I should not. My recent experience has taught me there ARE people out there, some who are psychologically compromised, that believe things to be true that are not. Social media profiles may contain personal information which is surely being monitored by one or more of these lowlifes. Trust me: my intention is not to scare anyone. On the contrary, it is to make my readers aware of this. No matter if you are a senior lady without a dime or a wealthy, educated retired college teacher: someone is out there looking for this personal information. I limit my comments and mainly use Facebook due to my association with the Organic Prepper.
Some people I know, who are close to me, have had quite traumatic experiences with social media. They are not wealthy, they live in a decent place, drive not-so-old cars. Although with the levels Venezuela has been at for the last 20 years, I guess some lowlife could consider them wealthy enough. These people I know live in a frontier city; this means criminals usually know that after committing a crime there, once they cross the border, they will be relatively safe.
Social media for work only is best.
It is very important to know that all the information we post online is available to everyone, everywhere. Going completely offline is possible, but in a modern economy, is it really practical? How do we sell our products, if we are homesteaders, without belonging to a group or some online community? Sure, we could use the old-style phone calls, telemarketing style but it is highly time-consuming and maybe impractical compared to other methods, to achieve our goals.
Using social media ( Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) exclusively for our work is the best approach. Our personal lives do not need to be known by others. Especially those who may be looking for a way to take advantage of someone they have chosen as prey. Don´t post about your armory or your panic room, your pantry full of food, nor your score in the range on social media. These criminals will know you´re not a piece of cake, and take it on as a challenge. The last thing you want is to face a bad guy who knows you may be armed.
By the way, these guys are usually NOT the stereotypical lonely psycho you see in the movies. They often attack in packs: two, three, or even four against one person they have found worthy. One or two of them will come in close, the others will be nearby, just in case things get ugly. Even if you neutralize two of them, the remaining others will hunt you down, just because they can. They can´t afford to allow a civilian to face them and win. Many of them are linked to the “uniforms”, who provide them guns, ammo, and even transport and protection. Although, the “uniforms” sometimes are the perpetrators.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Ask yourself the following questions.
What important information might you be giving away on social media?
What would a predator checking your profile be looking for?
What would look interesting to potential thieves?
Is any of the following information on your profile? Schedules? Number of persons living at home? Guard dog? Gun proficiency? Other defense means? Fancy cars? Furniture? Jewelry? Expensive phones/electronics?
Do you travel a lot?
Do you work so often that your house is mostly empty?
Do you know personally all of those in your profile?
Do you suspect any “friend” profiles are fake?
Do you really want your information online…forever? (once online, it stays online) None of this should be in any of your social media profiles.
Predators know that kids are a good source of information.
Kids talk. Especially to friendly adults. Predators know kids will feel “grown-up” if an adult speaks to them. Sadly, these criminals are only gathering information for an attack. When my older son was around 14 or 15, someone began asking him questions. My son quickly realized this thug had bad intentions and gave him fake information. But, do not underestimate these predators. They are smart, and most of them know when they are being lied to.
If you are able, download and save a photo of anyone who asks you for information that is suspicious.
In Venezuela, the upper-class neighborhoods and the poor neighborhoods are only separated by a few hundred meters. I am not saying that people living in poor neighborhoods are criminals, but the criminals are likely to live in those poor neighborhoods. So, if you are driving a shiny new car, every day, by the poor barrio, you will likely end up being targeted. If you are also sharing your personal information and your schedules and routines on social media, some of those criminals will be watching you.
This article does not go into how the social media companies themselves are using your information. That’s also a risk to your personal security and privacy.
Do you have any other tips for keeping your social media profile secure?
I hope this information has been useful in optimizing your OPSEC (operational security). We just never know who has been browsing social media for hours, gathering information needed to put together a portfolio of potential victims. One of those victims could be you.
Thanks for your comments, and your support to keep me writing!
Stay safe,
Jose


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-20--Don’t Resist Arrest, Global Reset Coming, No Real Recovery

Greg Hunter gives The Weekly News Wrap-Up for Friday , June 19th , 2020 President Trump signed an Executive Order ( EO ) on some police reforms this past week that , among other things , bans chokeholds .
What about reforms and instructions for the public interacting with police ?
President Trump missed an opportunity to tell citizens NOT to resist arrest and to follow lawful commands of the nation ’ s law enforcement officers .
That would go a long way to stopping the violent confrontations and police doing their jobs .
Delegitimizing police and causing chaos seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democrat Party , which has adopted a Marxist communist agenda .
The big picture story here is America is under full on attack , but not for reform .
It is all part of the New World Order plan to stomp out America and reset the world economically and geopolitically .
There is going to be a so-called reset that the globalists have been planning at the World Economic Forum in Davos .
What will it look like ?
If Donald Trump gets to reset things , the globalists will not like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is really about who is going to shape the reset and how will the world look afterward .
You have heard talk of a so-called “ V ” shaped economic recovery , but charts say the “ V ” is pretty shallow .
Yet another 1.5 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits pushing the total to more than 44 million .
When will this end ?
Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he talks about these stories and others in the Weekly News Wrap-Up .
To Donate to USAWatchdog.com Click Here :

Greg Hunter gives The Weekly News Wrap-Up for Friday, June 19th, 2020
President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) on some police reforms this past week that, among other things, bans chokeholds. What about reforms and instructions for the public interacting with police? President Trump missed an opportunity to tell citizens NOT to resist arrest and to follow lawful commands of the nation’s law enforcement officers. That would go a long way to stopping the violent confrontations and police doing their jobs.
Delegitimizing police and causing chaos seems to be part of the plan by the Democrat Party, which has adopted a Marxist communist agenda. The big picture story here is America is under full on attack, but not for reform. It is all part of the New World Order plan to stomp out America and reset the world economically and geopolitically. There is going to be a so-called reset that the globalists have been planning at the World Economic Forum in Davos. What will it look like? If Donald Trump gets to reset things, the globalists will not like how that plays out. The battle is really about who is going to shape the reset and how will the world look afterward.
You have heard talk of a so-called “V” shaped economic recovery, but charts say the “V” is pretty shallow. Yet another 1.5 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits pushing the total to more than 44 million. When will this end?
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investmentwatchblog--2020-06-20--Street Battles in France with Weapons

Street Battles in France with Weapons

In the French city of Dijon , Chechens and North Africans are fighting with assault rifles and weapons of war .
The question of how the Chechen refugees get their arms at all is interesting .
But this is the global rise in civil unrest we have warned about .
These elitist fools think they can shut down sports , close all gatherings for plays , movies and prohibit even flying in Europe and that they will be able to suppress the people is lunacy .
On a global basis , there are over 300 million people who have lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to explode on the streets .
You can not simply gove people guaranteed basic income and expect them to be satisfied sitting home watching TV .
Some people need to stay mentally or physically active and are NOT satisfied with basic income .
These elitists do not understand human nature because they have never walked among the people .
This is not going to end nicely .
This is what I mean it is not racist – it is pent up frustration that these elitists do not understand that their quest to shut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rebuild it green is going to very violent .
Using the virus as the excuse to deny gatherings and to lock people up for not wearing a mask is pure tyranny .

by Martin Armstrong
In the French city of Dijon, Chechens and North Africans are fighting with assault rifles and weapons of war. The question of how the Chechen refugees get their arms at all is interesting. But this is the global rise in civil unrest we have warned about. These elitist fools think they can shut down sports, close all gatherings for plays, movies and prohibit even flying in Europe and that they will be able to suppress the people is lunacy.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
On a global basis, there are over 300 million people who have lost their jobs. This frustration will continue to explode on the streets. You cannot simply gove people guaranteed basic income and expect them to be satisfied sitting home watching TV. Some people need to stay mentally or physically active and are NOT satisfied with basic income.
These elitists do not understand human nature because they have never walked among the people. This is not going to end nicely. This is what I mean it is not racist – it is pent up frustration that these elitists do not understand that their quest to shut down the world economy so they can rebuild it green is going to very violent. Using the virus as the excuse to deny gatherings and to lock people up for not wearing a mask is pure tyranny.


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-19--#MacroView: Retail Sales Bounce, But Consumers Are Tapped Out.

There was a good bit of excitement on Tuesday with the release of the retail sales report , which came in stronger than expectations .
However , the bounce will be difficult to maintain as tapped out consumers face high unemployment and a slow recovery .
As we have discussed many times previously , the consumer is the lynchpin to the economy , comprising roughly 70 % of economic growth .
The most valuable thing about the consumer is they are “ financially stupid.
” But what would expect from a generation whose personal motto is “ YOLO – You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is why you “ never count the consumer out , ” as they always find a way to go further into debt .
Consumers are also why companies spend billions on social media , personal influencers , television , radio , and internet advertising .
If there is an outlet where someone will watch , listen , or read , you will find ads on it .
Why ?
Because psychologically , consumers are “ trained ” to “ shop till they drop.
” As long as individuals have a paycheck ; they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax refund ; they will spend it .
Issue them a credit card ; they will max it out .
Give them a government stimulus check ; they will spend it as well .
Don ’ t believe me , then why is consumer debt at record levels ?
If consumers were even partially responsible , financial guru ’ s like Dave Ramsey wouldn ’ t have a job selling products to get people out of debt .
However , consumers spending themselves further into debt is what keeps stock markets going higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I said “ going , ” and not “ growing , ” Take a look at the chart below : In 1980 , household credit market debt stood at $ 1.3 Trillion .
To move consumption from 61 % to 65 % of GDP by 2000 , it required an increase of $ 5.5 Trillion in debt .
Since 2000 , consumption as a percent of the economy has risen by just 3 % over the last 20 years .
To support that increase in consumption , it required an increase in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trillion .
You should not dismiss the importance of that statement .
It has required twice as much debt to increase consumption by 3 % of the economy since 2000 than it did to increase it by 4 % from 1980-2000 .
The problem is quite clear .
With interest rates already at historic lows , consumers heavily leveraged and economic growth running at sub-par rates ; there is not much capability to increase consumption that would replicate the economic growth rates of the past .
The mirage of consumer wealth has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Wealth ” is not borrowed but “ saved.
” Such is a lesson too few individuals have learned .
This record level of household debt is also why the Fed ’ s measure of “ Saving Rates ” is entirely wrong .
It is also why economic growth will continue to weaken as debt continues to deter disposable incomes away from consumption into debt service .
The gap between the standard of living and incomes is another reflection of the wealth inequality which is pervasive in the economy .
Less Than Meets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jump in retail sales in May , a look below the headlines revealed a different picture .
As noted by Mish Shedlock : Notice the only positive sectors were those directly related to the partial reopening of the economy .
Such was not unexpected , but it is also likely unsustainable .
The stimulus checks are gone and more checks may be problematic to get through a deeply divided Congress .
The additional $ 600 in unemployment benefits runs out next month , and there is only talk of a bill to extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retail sales make up roughly 40 % of personal consumption expenditures which in turn comprises roughly 70 % of GDP , the impact to sustained economic growth is important to consider .
As noted unemployment is running at very high levels , but without a substantial pickup in retail sales , re-employment may be disappointing .
What the headlines miss is the growth in the population .
The chart below shows retails sales divided by the current 16-and-over population .
( If you are alive , you consume . )
Retail sales per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annualized growth trend beginning in 1992 .
However , after the financial crisis , the gap has yet to be filled and currently runs at just a 3 % growth rate .
Assuming we recover to full-employment next month , and retail sales return to its 3 % growth trend , retail sales will take another step backward .
Such is the same outcome as we discussed last week with expectations for economic recovery .
To wit : There are two reasons for this , which are continually overlooked or worse simply ignored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The first is that despite the “ longest run of employment growth in U.S. history , ” those who are finding jobs continues to grow at a substantially slower pace than the growth rate of the population .
The economic shutdown exposed this weakness .
If you don ’ t have a job , and primarily live on government support ( as 1-in-4 Americans currently do ) , it is difficult to consume at higher levels to support economic growth .
Consumers Are All Tapped Out Secondly , while stimulus checks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incomes , that income boost is only temporary .
The reality is that 80 % of Americans continue to live paycheck-to-paycheck and have little saved in the bank .
With years of wage stagnation , the cost of living now exceeds what incomes and debt increases can sustain .
It is also why despite the annual hopes of “ stronger economic growth , ” the 3-year average of economic growth continues to deteriorate .
With consumers forced to consume more on credit , such will lead to a slower economic recovery as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The impact on the economy from record levels of unemployment will have a wide range of impacts forestalling an economic recovery .
The first , is a deep suppression of wage growth , which is derived from both recessionary drags and job losses .
As stated , with reduced incomes , it is harder to make ends meet harder to obtain additional credit .
Given consumers are dependent upon credit to “ fill the gap , ” and with banks tightening lending standards , access to credit will become more difficult .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the expected “ V-shape ” recovery in the economy is overly optimistic .
While the data has certainly bounced as the economy is reopened , the headwinds will likely stall the advance .
One of the ongoing problems with the data is that aging demographics , massive monetary interventions , and the structural change in employment has skewed the seasonal-adjustments in economic data .
These issues skew every report from employment , retail sales , and manufacturing to appear more robust .
Such is a problem mainstream analysis continues to overlook but will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data reverses .
Deterioration in economic confidence is hugely important .
The most significant factors weighing on consumption are job losses which crush spending decisions by consumers .
Such starts a virtual spiral in the economy as reductions in spending put further pressures on corporate profitability .
Lower profits lead to more unemployment , and lower asset prices , until the cycle is complete .
As I discussed last week , the current detachment of the stock market from the economy is likely an illusion that will not last long .
As noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy , businesses will not immediately return to full operational activity , until consumption returns to normalized levels .
Without a ready vaccine , if there is a second wave of the virus , consumer confidence would likely reverse .
Such would put further pressure on sales and , ultimately , corporate profits .
As I concluded in a note last year : While the markets have indeed managed a strong “ rally ” from the March lows , there are reasons to be cautious .
We are just entering into what will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and more damaging recession than what we saw in 2008 .
Defaults and bankruptcies are only in the very early stages .
Liquidity from the Fed has repaired credit spreads for the time being .
Still , the longer this recession drags on , the higher the risk is the Fed only delayed the inevitable .
The Federal Reserve did move quickly to assist the credit markets in remaining operational , as discussed here .
However , those “ emergency measures ” don ’ t translate into more robust economic prosperity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bounce in retail sales , there will still be no “ V-shaped ” recovery .

by Lance Roberts
There was a good bit of excitement on Tuesday with the release of the retail sales report, which came in stronger than expectations. However, the bounce will be difficult to maintain as tapped out consumers face high unemployment and a slow recovery.
As we have discussed many times previously, the consumer is the lynchpin to the economy, comprising roughly 70% of economic growth.
The most valuable thing about the consumer is they are “financially stupid.” But what would expect from a generation whose personal motto is “YOLO – You Only Live Once.” However, this is why you “never count the consumer out,” as they always find a way to go further into debt.
Consumers are also why companies spend billions on social media, personal influencers, television, radio, and internet advertising. If there is an outlet where someone will watch, listen, or read, you will find ads on it. Why? Because psychologically, consumers are “trained” to “shop till they drop.”
As long as individuals have a paycheck; they will spend it. Give them a tax refund; they will spend it. Issue them a credit card; they will max it out. Give them a government stimulus check; they will spend it as well. Don’t believe me, then why is consumer debt at record levels?
Debt-Driven Consumption
If consumers were even partially responsible, financial guru’s like Dave Ramsey wouldn’t have a job selling products to get people out of debt.
However, consumers spending themselves further into debt is what keeps stock markets going higher and the economy going. Note, that I said “going,” and not “growing,” Take a look at the chart below:
In 1980, household credit market debt stood at $1.3 Trillion. To move consumption from 61% to 65% of GDP by 2000, it required an increase of $5.5 Trillion in debt. Since 2000, consumption as a percent of the economy has risen by just 3% over the last 20 years. To support that increase in consumption, it required an increase in personal debt of more than $11 Trillion.
You should not dismiss the importance of that statement. It has required twice as much debt to increase consumption by 3% of the economy since 2000 than it did to increase it by 4% from 1980-2000. The problem is quite clear. With interest rates already at historic lows, consumers heavily leveraged and economic growth running at sub-par rates; there is not much capability to increase consumption that would replicate the economic growth rates of the past.
The Mirage Of Wealth
The mirage of consumer wealth has been a function of surging debt levels. “Wealth” is not borrowed but “saved.” Such is a lesson too few individuals have learned.
This record level of household debt is also why the Fed’s measure of “Saving Rates” is entirely wrong. It is also why economic growth will continue to weaken as debt continues to deter disposable incomes away from consumption into debt service.
“The ‘gap’ between the ‘standard of living’ and real disposable incomes is shown below. Beginning in 1990, incomes alone were no longer able to meet the standard of living so consumers turned to debt to fill the ‘gap.’ However, following the ‘financial crisis,’ even the combined levels of income and debt no longer fill the gap. Currently, consumers cannot fill the record $2654 annual deficit to maintain their lifestyle without more debt.”
The gap between the standard of living and incomes is another reflection of the wealth inequality which is pervasive in the economy.
Less Than Meets The Eye
While there was a massive jump in retail sales in May, a look below the headlines revealed a different picture. As noted by Mish Shedlock:
“Despite the surge, sales numbers are back to levels seen in late 2015 and early 2016. On a year-over-year basis, sales are 6.1% below May 2019. Total sales for the March 2020 through May 2020 period are down -10.5% from the same period a year ago. Here are the 5-month totals:
Total: -4.7%
Motor Vehicles and Parts: -10.5%
Furniture: –18.1%
Electronics and Appliances: -19.3%
Building Materials: +6.7%
Food and Beverage Stores: +13.1%
Health & Personal Care: -2.4%
Gasoline: -16.7%
Clothing: -42.9%
Sporting Goods: -9.9%
Department Stores: -21.0%
Nonstore Retailers: +16.6
Food and Drinking Places: -22.3%”
Notice the only positive sectors were those directly related to the partial reopening of the economy. Such was not unexpected, but it is also likely unsustainable. The stimulus checks are gone and more checks may be problematic to get through a deeply divided Congress. The additional $600 in unemployment benefits runs out next month, and there is only talk of a bill to extend them at reduced levels.
Unemployment is still a problem.
No Getting Back
Given that retail sales make up roughly 40% of personal consumption expenditures which in turn comprises roughly 70% of GDP, the impact to sustained economic growth is important to consider. As noted unemployment is running at very high levels, but without a substantial pickup in retail sales, re-employment may be disappointing.
What the headlines miss is the growth in the population. The chart below shows retails sales divided by the current 16-and-over population. (If you are alive, you consume.)
Retail sales per capita were previously on a 5% annualized growth trend beginning in 1992. However, after the financial crisis, the gap has yet to be filled and currently runs at just a 3% growth rate. Assuming we recover to full-employment next month, and retail sales return to its 3% growth trend, retail sales will take another step backward.
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Such is the same outcome as we discussed last week with expectations for economic recovery. To wit:
“Before the “Financial Crisis,” the economy had a linear growth trend of real GDP of 3.2%. Following the 2008 recession, the growth rate dropped to the exponential growth trend of roughly 2.2%. Instead of reducing the debt problems, unproductive debt, and leverage increased.”
Employment Problem
There are two reasons for this, which are continually overlooked or worse simply ignored, by the mainstream media and economists. The first is that despite the “longest run of employment growth in U.S. history,” those who are finding jobs continues to grow at a substantially slower pace than the growth rate of the population. The economic shutdown exposed this weakness.
“Since the beginning of the last economic expansion, the working-age population has grown by 25.3 million while employment has fallen by 1.14 million through May. As the BLS confirms above, there are over 26 million who are “missing” due to how employment is calculated.”
“What is crucially important to the economy is full-time employment, which creates enough income to expand economic growth. The number of full-time employees to the working-age population is at 44.81%, which is not high enough to support economic growth.”
If you don’t have a job, and primarily live on government support (as 1-in-4 Americans currently do), it is difficult to consume at higher levels to support economic growth.
Consumers Are All Tapped Out
Secondly, while stimulus checks and extra-benefits may provide a temporary boost to incomes, that income boost is only temporary. The reality is that 80% of Americans continue to live paycheck-to-paycheck and have little saved in the bank. With years of wage stagnation, the cost of living now exceeds what incomes and debt increases can sustain.
It is also why despite the annual hopes of “stronger economic growth,” the 3-year average of economic growth continues to deteriorate. With consumers forced to consume more on credit, such will lead to a slower economic recovery as the ability to tap additional credit becomes problematic.
The impact on the economy from record levels of unemployment will have a wide range of impacts forestalling an economic recovery. The first, is a deep suppression of wage growth, which is derived from both recessionary drags and job losses.
Tightening Up
As stated, with reduced incomes, it is harder to make ends meet harder to obtain additional credit. Given consumers are dependent upon credit to “fill the gap,” and with banks tightening lending standards, access to credit will become more difficult.
Both of these factors will likely ensure the expected “V-shape” recovery in the economy is overly optimistic. While the data has certainly bounced as the economy is reopened, the headwinds will likely stall the advance.
One of the ongoing problems with the data is that aging demographics, massive monetary interventions, and the structural change in employment has skewed the seasonal-adjustments in economic data. These issues skew every report from employment, retail sales, and manufacturing to appear more robust. Such is a problem mainstream analysis continues to overlook but will be used as an excuse when the data reverses.
Deterioration in economic confidence is hugely important. The most significant factors weighing on consumption are job losses which crush spending decisions by consumers. Such starts a virtual spiral in the economy as reductions in spending put further pressures on corporate profitability. Lower profits lead to more unemployment, and lower asset prices, until the cycle is complete.
Conclusion
As I discussed last week, the current detachment of the stock market from the economy is likely an illusion that will not last long.
“The economic destruction playing out in real-time will eventually weigh on markets. There is a negative feedback loop between employment and consumption. As unemployment rises, consumption falls due to a lack of income. Since businesses operate based on demand for goods and services, the correlation between PCE, fixed investment, and employment is high.”
As noted, even with the reopening of the economy, businesses will not immediately return to full operational activity, until consumption returns to normalized levels. Without a ready vaccine, if there is a second wave of the virus, consumer confidence would likely reverse. Such would put further pressure on sales and, ultimately, corporate profits.
As I concluded in a note last year:
“It is hard for consumers to remain ‘confident’ and continue spending when they have lost their source of income.“
While the markets have indeed managed a strong “rally” from the March lows, there are reasons to be cautious.
We are just entering into what will likely be a more protracted, deeper, and more damaging recession than what we saw in 2008. Defaults and bankruptcies are only in the very early stages. Liquidity from the Fed has repaired credit spreads for the time being. Still, the longer this recession drags on, the higher the risk is the Fed only delayed the inevitable.
The Federal Reserve did move quickly to assist the credit markets in remaining operational, as discussed here. However, those “emergency measures” don’t translate into more robust economic prosperity, revenues, or corporate profits.
Despite the bounce in retail sales, there will still be no “V-shaped” recovery.
Invest accordingly.


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-19--Police dismantle Antifa’s autonomous zone in Portland, OR

The Antifa thugs had occupied what they called their zone overnight .
The chatter on Twitter is that Portland mayor Ed Wheeler , a Demonrat , had the police dismantle the autonomous zone only because the Antifa thugs had set up the zone in the city ’ s Pearl District right in front of his condo .
This is confirmed by Oregon.live , as well as KOIN morning reporter Elise Haas .
Another Demonrat mayor also did a 180° ( I refuse to call it a “ change of heart ” because it ’ s not ) on the thugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , WA , because her own home was vandalized .
Sean Hannity reports yesterday that Mayor Cheryl Selby “ had a change of heart this week regarding the anti-police protests sweeping the nation ; labeling the demonstrators ‘ domestic terrorists ’ after they vandalized her home.
” Mayor Cheryl Selby plaintively whined : “ I ’ m really trying to process this .
It ’ s like domestic terrorism .
It ’ s unfair .
It hurts when you ’ re giving so much to your community.
” Meanwhile , Antifa ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still there .
See : • Antifa terrorists take over 6 city blocks in Seattle as their ‘ autonomous zone ’ • Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan defends Antifa occupation of 6 city blocks as ‘ peaceful ’ expression of ‘ community ’

by Dr. Eowyn
Yesterday morning, Portland police dismantled the city’s copycat Antifa “autonomous zone”.
The Antifa thugs had occupied what they called their zone overnight.
The chatter on Twitter is that Portland mayor Ed Wheeler, a Demonrat, had the police dismantle the autonomous zone only because the Antifa thugs had set up the zone in the city’s Pearl District right in front of his condo.
Pearl District is Portland’s central business district.
This is confirmed by Oregon.live, as well as KOIN morning reporter Elise Haas.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Another Demonrat mayor also did a 180° (I refuse to call it a “change of heart” because it’s not) on the thugs who were vandalizing businesses in downtown Olympia, WA, because her own home was vandalized.
Sean Hannity reports yesterday that Mayor Cheryl Selby “had a change of heart this week regarding the anti-police protests sweeping the nation; labeling the demonstrators ‘domestic terrorists’ after they vandalized her home.”
Mayor Cheryl Selby plaintively whined: “I’m really trying to process this. It’s like domestic terrorism. It’s unfair. It hurts when you’re giving so much to your community.”
Blah, blah, blah.
Meanwhile, Antifa’s “autonomous zone” in Seattle is still there. See:
~Eowyn


investmentwatchblog--2020-06-19--China puts 21 Million on Lockdown, Rounds up 350,000 in Beijing as the Virus goes wild again.

• A Western reporter told how his phone rang after he attended the ‘ sprawling ’ Xinfadi wholesale market • The market is where the new outbreak , of which there have been 158 confirmed cases so far , started • Reporter Mark Schiefelbein was told to report to a nearby sports stadium to be tested for coronavirus • A city official said 355,000 people had been identified for testing using ‘ big data ’ but did not say how • Residents have also been urged not to travel outside Beijing and thousands of flights have been cancelled Beijing is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 350,000 people for coronavirus testing as the country battles a second wave of coronavirus .
One western reporter revealed how he received a phone call ordering him to get tested after he attended the ‘ sprawling ’ Xinfadi wholesale market , where the new outbreak started .
A city official explained that 355,000 people had been identified for testing using ‘ big data ’ .
It also emerged that at least 21million have had lockdown rules reimposed on them in China as part of fightback measures .
Checkpoints have been reimposed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its emergency response level was raised and residents are required to go through facial recognition cameras or show digital passes if they wish to enter or leave compounds .
Another 21 cases of the virus were reported in the past 24 hours in Beijing , the National Health Commission said , taking the total number of new infections to 158 .
The figure was down from 31 on Wednesday .
The decline in new cases prompted one of the country ’ s leading epidemiologists to say at a briefing on Thursday that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control ’ .
But crowds of people waiting to be tested have become a common sight in Beijing in recent days .
Footage showed hordes of people packed into a corridor at a hospital in Shaanxi , west of Beijing , as they waited to be tested .

A Western reporter told how his phone rang after he attended the ‘sprawling’ Xinfadi wholesale market
The market is where the new outbreak, of which there have been 158 confirmed cases so far, started
Reporter Mark Schiefelbein was told to report to a nearby sports stadium to be tested for coronavirus
A city official said 355,000 people had been identified for testing using ‘big data’ but did not say how
Residents have also been urged not to travel outside Beijing and thousands of flights have been cancelled
Beijing is using phone data to round up more than 350,000 people for coronavirus testing as the country battles a second wave of coronavirus.
One western reporter revealed how he received a phone call ordering him to get tested after he attended the ‘sprawling’ Xinfadi wholesale market, where the new outbreak started.
A city official explained that 355,000 people had been identified for testing using ‘big data’.
It also emerged that at least 21million have had lockdown rules reimposed on them in China as part of fightback measures.
Checkpoints have been reimposed on all residential complexes in the city after its emergency response level was raised and residents are required to go through facial recognition cameras or show digital passes if they wish to enter or leave compounds.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Another 21 cases of the virus were reported in the past 24 hours in Beijing, the National Health Commission said, taking the total number of new infections to 158. The figure was down from 31 on Wednesday.
The decline in new cases prompted one of the country’s leading epidemiologists to say at a briefing on Thursday that the city’s outbreak is ‘under control’.
But crowds of people waiting to be tested have become a common sight in Beijing in recent days. Footage showed hordes of people packed into a corridor at a hospital in Shaanxi, west of Beijing, as they waited to be tested.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8434489/Asia-Today-Beijings-daily-cases-drop-Seouls-increase.html