investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--H.R. 2884 COVFEFE NOT A TYPO!

H.R. 2884 COVFEFE NOT A TYPO!

Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically For Engagement Act of 2017 or the COVFEFE Act of 2017 This bill amends provisions governing presidential records to : ( 1 ) revise the definition of “ documentary material ” to include social media ; ( 2 ) revise the definition of “ presidential records ” to include any personal and official social media account ; and ( 3 ) define “ social media ” as any form of electronic communication ( such as a website for social networking and microblogging ) through which users create an online community to share information , ideas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( such as videos ) .
The way I interpret it , social media – Twitter , Facebook , Instagram – can not ban or remove the President ’ s posts .
Twitter has come under intense pressure from Democrats to crack down on Trump ’ s tweets , and calls for action have grown louder in recent weeks after Trump used his account to attack key figures in the impeachment probe underway in the House of Representatives .
The company has not yet labeled any of the president ’ s tweets as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act is still just a proposed piece of legislation , it seems important that all citizens – regardless of their political beliefs or affiliations – ought to be able to view every public official ’ s social media posts .
The “ public forum ” nature of social media is still under consideration in countless legal battles across the country , and regardless of political party or level of public office , our elected officials have a Constitutional obligation to remain transparent in their interactions with the public , even when they would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

H.R.2884 — 115th Congress (2017-2018)
www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2884
Introduced in House (06/12/2017)
Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically For Engagement Act of 2017 or the COVFEFE Act of 2017
This bill amends provisions governing presidential records to: (1) revise the definition of “documentary material” to include social media; (2) revise the definition of “presidential records” to include any personal and official social media account; and (3) define “social media” as any form of electronic communication (such as a website for social networking and microblogging) through which users create an online community to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos).
The way I interpret it, social media – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram – cannot ban or remove the President’s posts.
This CNN article from Oct 2019:
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Twitter explains why it hasn’t suspended Trump’s account
…
Twitter has come under intense pressure from Democrats to crack down on Trump’s tweets, and calls for action have grown louder in recent weeks after Trump used his account to attack key figures in the impeachment probe underway in the House of Representatives. The company has not yet labeled any of the president’s tweets as violating its policies…
www.cnn.com/2019/10/16/tech/twitter-trump-rules/index.html
“Although the COVFEFE Act is still just a proposed piece of legislation, it seems important that all citizens – regardless of their political beliefs or affiliations – ought to be able to view every public official’s social media posts. The “public forum” nature of social media is still under consideration in countless legal battles across the country, and regardless of political party or level of public office, our elected officials have a Constitutional obligation to remain transparent in their interactions with the public, even when they would rather block someone who disagrees with them…”
firstamendmentvoice.org/2020/03/what-is-the-covfefe-act-of-2017-and-how-is-it-still-relevant-today/
h/t ElleMira


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--A Great Depression For The 21st Century: 1930s Was Bad, But What We Are Facing Now Is Worse!

Some may say the crisis we are in is “ The Next Great Depression ” or “ The Greater Depression ” , but the fact is that things have gone so wrong this time around that the 1930s crisis may not even be a point of reference anymore .
Back then , circumstances were way different than now , and the proportions of The Depression Of The 21st Century are so extensive that it is likely to become a point of reference on its own – an event of such singular conditions that will be used as a comparison in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re still in the middle of the crisis , many questions remain unanswered .
We don ’ t know how long it will last or how much worse it will get , we can ’ t even predict with accuracy our potential of recovery , because every week has been decisive so far .
For that reason , today , we are going to analyze how the current economic collapse differs from the 1930s Great Depression , and in what aspects they may share similar outcomes .
We , as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cared for , and this generation is far removed in experience and memory from hard times .
Part of this coddled behavior comes in the form of a paternalistic state , to which we developed such a strong co-dependency that now we let the state make the hard decisions we don ’ t want to be bothered about .
The state provides guarantees that are very appealing to investors and consumers , and they want to put those guarantees into proof , hoping it won ’ t be just an empty promise .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ laid back ” attitude towards selloffs in the stock market is the result of the assumption that the market will be fixed and bounce back as soon as possible .
Or , in case things get too serious , the Federal Reserve will always come to the rescue .
The presumption that the Fed will always be there to bail out the banks and the financial markets has allowed investors to become more and more reckless .
Some of these seem to be remarkably proud of themselves , because they bought stocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collecting the perks that came from the Fed ’ s liquidity injections into the financial markets .
We seem to have a short memory when it comes to realizing how difficult it was to get out of a very similar chaos that happened a little over a decade ago .
Although the financial markets seem to have recovered more quickly this time , the economic backdrop in which it leans is collapsing further and further every day it goes by .
But don ’ t be mistaken by thinking the Fed isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go down at any minute , because they know how dangerous the situation has become .
They have already pulled out all the stops in their quest to “ bring back inflation ” , and are fighting an uphill battle .
Every crash on the financial system only bruises it even more and it never fully recovered , it has just been dragged along .
As Kelsey Williams described in his piece “ A Depression for the 21st Century ” , the economic collapse has many complex components that are yet to cause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even though Wall Street projections to a rebound are optimistic , we don ’ t have the same sort of optimism in the real economy .
Or , as she summarized perfectly “ We are currently in poor financial health and before we can get better , we will experience a healing crisis of immense proportion .
”

Some may say the crisis we are in is “The Next Great Depression” or “The Greater Depression”, but the fact is that things have gone so wrong this time around that the 1930s crisis may not even be a point of reference anymore. Back then, circumstances were way different than now, and the proportions of The Depression Of The 21st Century are so extensive that it is likely to become a point of reference on its own – an event of such singular conditions that will be used as a comparison in future financial and economic meltdowns.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
As we’re still in the middle of the crisis, many questions remain unanswered. We don’t know how long it will last or how much worse it will get, we can’t even predict with accuracy our potential of recovery, because every week has been decisive so far. For that reason, today, we are going to analyze how the current economic collapse differs from the 1930s Great Depression, and in what aspects they may share similar outcomes.
We, as a society, have gotten used to being cared for, and this generation is far removed in experience and memory from hard times. Part of this coddled behavior comes in the form of a paternalistic state, to which we developed such a strong co-dependency that now we let the state make the hard decisions we don’t want to be bothered about. The state provides guarantees that are very appealing to investors and consumers, and they want to put those guarantees into proof, hoping it won’t be just an empty promise.
Alternatively, in this century, the “laid back” attitude towards selloffs in the stock market is the result of the assumption that the market will be fixed and bounce back as soon as possible. Or, in case things get too serious, the Federal Reserve will always come to the rescue.
The presumption that the Fed will always be there to bail out the banks and the financial markets has allowed investors to become more and more reckless. Some of these seem to be remarkably proud of themselves, because they bought stocks this past spring, and are now collecting the perks that came from the Fed’s liquidity injections into the financial markets.
We seem to have a short memory when it comes to realizing how difficult it was to get out of a very similar chaos that happened a little over a decade ago. Although the financial markets seem to have recovered more quickly this time, the economic backdrop in which it leans is collapsing further and further every day it goes by. But don’t be mistaken by thinking the Fed isn’t aware that everything is about to go down at any minute, because they know how dangerous the situation has become. They have already pulled out all the stops in their quest to “bring back inflation”, and are fighting an uphill battle.
Every crash on the financial system only bruises it even more and it never fully recovered, it has just been dragged along. As Kelsey Williams described in his piece “A Depression for the 21st Century”, the economic collapse has many complex components that are yet to cause major turbulence in our society, and even though Wall Street projections to a rebound are optimistic, we don’t have the same sort of optimism in the real economy. Or, as she summarized perfectly “We are currently in poor financial health and before we can get better, we will experience a healing crisis of immense proportion.”


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--What Trump Meant When He Said It Will Be Getting Colder

Massive rainfall shifts in the deserts of N. Africa bringing consistent months worth or rain in days along with record @ @ @ @ @ president Trump clearly stating that it will be getting colder , maybe both of these @ @ @ @ @ Grand Solar Minimum in a soft disclosure way .
New map of Carrington aurora sightings @ @ @ @ @

Massive rainfall shifts in the deserts of N. Africa bringing consistent months worth or rain in days along with record crop yields and the U.S president Trump clearly stating that it will be getting colder, maybe both of these are overlapping confirmation of the Grand Solar Minimum in a soft disclosure way. New map of Carrington aurora sightings in 1859, updated.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--Brzezinski LOSES It On MSNBC! What She Said About Trump and His Voters is UNFORGIVABLE!

Marty Walsh from Trending Politics reports , Another day , another outrageous comment from a “ non biased ” mainstream @ @ @ @ @ segment Monday on MSNBC ’ s “ Morning Joe , ” co-host Mika Brzezinski reacted @ @ @ @ @ journalist Bob Woodward he downplayed the severity of the coronavirus outbreak to prevent panic .

Marty Walsh from Trending Politics reports, Another day, another outrageous comment from a “non biased” mainstream media anchor. During a segment Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” co-host Mika Brzezinski reacted to President Donald Trump telling journalist Bob Woodward he downplayed the severity of the coronavirus outbreak to prevent panic.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Read More/Source/Credit/FairUse:
trendingpolitics.com/mika-goe…


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--Right On Schedule, WTO Is In The Crosshairs

The country is in an economic battle , the [ CB ] / [ DS ] wants the control back @ @ @ @ @ it away from them .
Trump is continually putting back in the pockets of the @ @ @ @ @ its the people should benefit .
The WTO is now in the crosshairs , Trump @ @ @

The country is in an economic battle, the [CB]/[DS] wants the control back, the patriots have taken it away from them. Trump is continually putting back in the pockets of the people, he understands that its the people should benefit. The WTO is now in the crosshairs, Trump moves in.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--The Patriots Are Taking Back The Country, The Corn Moon, Rig For Red

The [ DS ] /MSM narrative is lost , the riots are out of hand , the people see it @ @ @ @ @ apart , the people see the truth , the threat is the [ DS ] @ @ @ @ @ now in the process of taking back the country , nothing can stop this , @ @ @ @ @ and the patriots are now removing the 1619 project and putting in the 1776 commission @ @ @ @ @ Rig for red , the patriots are about to surface .

The [DS]/MSM narrative is lost, the riots are out of hand, the people see it, the virus is falling apart, the people see the truth, the threat is the [DS]/MSM. The patriots are now in the process of taking back the country, nothing can stop this, nothing. Today is Constitution and the patriots are now removing the 1619 project and putting in the 1776 commission to teach American values. Rig for red, the patriots are about to surface.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--We have a presidential candidate that cannot read off of a sheet of paper and is unable to understan

We have a presidential candidate that cannot read off of a sheet of paper and is unable to understand the difference between commas for thousands and millions.

I ’ ve watched long segments of Trump ’ s speeches/interviews .
He may not be eloquent and you may @ @ @ @ @ , but I see no signs whatsoever of dementia .
I also watch long segments @ @ @ @ @ .
I do see issues .
I think a lot of people do .
I @ @ @ @ @ apparent he ’ s attending fewer live interviews and using teleprompters for speeches .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ Re-Election : Biden Asks for Teleprompter to be Moved Up to Answer a Question :

I’ve watched long segments of Trump’s speeches/interviews. He may not be eloquent and you may not like what he says, but I see no signs whatsoever of dementia. I also watch long segments of Biden’s speeches. I do see issues. I think a lot of people do. I think it’s also apparent he’s attending fewer live interviews and using teleprompters for speeches.
Biden Thinks He is Running to Re-Election:

We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Biden Asks for Teleprompter to be Moved Up to Answer a Question:
h/t lala9007


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--Coronavirus is so widespread and super contagious that going to a near empty gym is instant death ye

Coronavirus is so widespread and super contagious that going to a near empty gym is instant death yet everything else is safe!? Anyone else tired of this pick and choose shit!?

I ’ m tired of being bitched at for going to the gym to work out & just enjoy myself for an hour because I choose not to live in fear anymore .
Also tired of people bitching to me about Social distancing too sorry but if • People can Protest super close to each other in huge crowds with no distancing and sometimes no mask ( no matter the cause whether it ’ s for BLM or re-open/Anti mask ) many people I know who went actually tested negative afterwards so is covid really that bad ?
• restaurants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • cdc saysyou can totally hook up with a stranger as long you ’ re following covid guidelines🤣 ( wait a minute I thought we must distance at all times ?
You can ’ t distance during sex ) • Dr.fauci can flip flop and now say voting in person is safe yet going to the gym or hanging with a small group of friends is not ( wtf ? )
Then please explain to me why anyone should have a cow about me going to the gym for an hour ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re gon na compare !
Honestly people need to just mind their business I been locked down for awhile until this month when I decided to way fuck it & do my own thing !
isclaimer : This is a guest post and it doesn ’ t necessarily represent the views of IWB .

by bjjjudothrowaway1992
I’m tired of being bitched at for going to the gym to work out & just enjoy myself for an hour because I choose not to live in fear anymore. Also tired of people bitching to me about Social distancing too sorry but if
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
People can Protest super close to each other in huge crowds with no distancing and sometimes no mask(no matter the cause whether it’s for BLM or re-open/Anti mask) many people I know who went actually tested negative afterwards so is covid really that bad?
restaurants and bars are allowed to be open
cdc saysyou can totally hook up with a stranger as long you’re following covid guidelines🤣(wait a minute I thought we must distance at all times? You can’t distance during sex)
Dr.fauci can flip flop and now say voting in person is safe yet going to the gym or hanging with a small group of friends is not(wtf?)
Then please explain to me why anyone should have a cow about me going to the gym for an hour? The above mentioned things are way riskier if we’re gonna compare! Honestly people need to just mind their business I been locked down for awhile until this month when I decided to way fuck it & do my own thing!
isclaimer: This is a guest post and it doesn’t necessarily represent the views of IWB.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--Facebook is already programming us to accept election delays

This was at the very top of my news feed today .
Why does Facebook need to be involved in @ @ @ @ @ are they normalizing it to every American that a winner will not be able to @ @ @ @ @ 50 days away .

by Livelikethelotus
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
This was at the very top of my news feed today. Why does Facebook need to be involved in this at all? Why are they normalizing it to every American that a winner will not be able to be determined? Election is 50 days away.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--Rep Collins: Last three years, Democrats have repeatedly claimed that Russia must have something on

Rep Collins: Last three years, Democrats have repeatedly claimed that Russia must have something on Donald Trump. But the real question is: what does the Chinese Communist Party have on Joe Biden?

For the last three years , Democrats have repeatedly claimed that Russia must have something on Donald Trump .
But @ @ @ @ @ what does the Chinese Communist Party have on Joe Biden ?
pic.twitter.com/qL8zXEEdfO

For the last three years, Democrats have repeatedly claimed that Russia must have something on Donald Trump.
But the real question is: what does the Chinese Communist Party have on Joe Biden? pic.twitter.com/qL8zXEEdfO
— Rep. Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) September 17, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-18--China buys Hollywood’s silence about its human rights abuses

( Natural News ) The recent drama about Disney ’ s Mulan film has drawn some much-needed attention to the evils of communist China – a topic that is often glossed over thanks to the country ’ s financial support of Hollywood .
Director Judd Apatow recently expressed his concerns about the issue , saying that Hollywood censors films to avoid upsetting China and Saudi Arabia .
He said that studios will not tackle sensitive topics about human rights abuses if it means they will lose access to profitable markets abroad .
Speaking to MSNBC , the producer of Anchorman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was concerned about “ a corporate type of censorship that people don ’ t really notice.
” Many TV and film companies , he says , that do business with China won ’ t let their shows criticize them and won ’ t “ air documentaries that go deep into truthful areas because they just make so much money.
” He added that the way that content criticizing human rights biases in China has been shut down is scary .
Apatow himself is not afraid of using social media to expose human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as , “ It is shameful that no US companies and very few politicians speak up about concentration camps in China.
” He also said that no one in Hollywood would buy a pitch for a movie about Muslims in Chinese concentration camps .
The Mulan film was partly shot in Xinjiang , a region of China where the Chinese Communist Party has set up mass concentration and forced labor camps for millions of Uyghur Muslims , where they are often subjected to horrors like organ harvesting .
Forced sterilization campaigns there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drop by 24 percent last year , making it meet the legal definition of genocide .
In the credits of the film , Disney actually offers up a special thanks to several CCP propaganda departments in the region who were directly involved in operating or promoting mass internment camps , along with a local public security bureau branch that is subject to U.S. government sanctions on account of its role in operating such camps .
This has prompted many people to boycott the film .
The CCP has barred human right organizations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region , but they gave Disney employees special access .
The film ’ s production team reportedly spent months in the area researching and doing legwork before the film ’ s production .
They also refer to Xinjiang as “ northwest China ” in subtitles to appease the Chinese government .
Apatow also spoke out about China , writing on Twitter last week : “ They are not ‘ detained ’ they are being held in CONCENTRATION CAMPS .
Apple uses that word because they don ’ t want to anger China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UP & try to help a million people who were abducted and put in CONCENTRATION CAMPS.
” According to a report by freedom of speech nonprofit PEN America , Hollywood is “ increasingly normalizing ” censorship to gain access to the vast film audiences is China .
The country is the second-biggest market in the world for cinematic releases behind the U.S .
The group says the movie industry tailors every aspect of making movies to win over Beijing , including casting , dialogue , plot and content .
For example , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrapped a major Tibetan character from their 2006 film Dr .
Strange as Tibet is a politically sensitive topic in China .
The CCP has been accused of human rights abuses there including forced abortion and sterilization , torture and restriction of religious freedoms .
The film ended up being a big hit in China , bringing in $ 109 million there .
Last year , the trailer for the remake of Top Gun raised eyebrows when main character Maverick ’ s jacket no longer had flags for Taiwan and Japan on it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as being a breakaway province .
It ’ s not just Mulan ; this is a widespread problem throughout Hollywood that is unlikely to change unless more people hit them where it hurts and boycott their productions .

by: Cassie B.
(Natural News) The recent drama about Disney’s Mulan film has drawn some much-needed attention to the evils of communist China – a topic that is often glossed over thanks to the country’s financial support of Hollywood.
Director Judd Apatow recently expressed his concerns about the issue, saying that Hollywood censors films to avoid upsetting China and Saudi Arabia. He said that studios will not tackle sensitive topics about human rights abuses if it means they will lose access to profitable markets abroad.
Speaking to MSNBC, the producer of Anchorman and director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin said he was concerned about “a corporate type of censorship that people don’t really notice.” Many TV and film companies, he says, that do business with China won’t let their shows criticize them and won’t “air documentaries that go deep into truthful areas because they just make so much money.”
He added that the way that content criticizing human rights biases in China has been shut down is scary. Apatow himself is not afraid of using social media to expose human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims with tweets such as, “It is shameful that no US companies and very few politicians speak up about concentration camps in China.”
He also said that no one in Hollywood would buy a pitch for a movie about Muslims in Chinese concentration camps.
Disney’s support of China drew boycotts of Mulan film
The Mulan film was partly shot in Xinjiang, a region of China where the Chinese Communist Party has set up mass concentration and forced labor camps for millions of Uyghur Muslims, where they are often subjected to horrors like organ harvesting. Forced sterilization campaigns there saw the region’s birth rate drop by 24 percent last year, making it meet the legal definition of genocide.
In the credits of the film, Disney actually offers up a special thanks to several CCP propaganda departments in the region who were directly involved in operating or promoting mass internment camps, along with a local public security bureau branch that is subject to U.S. government sanctions on account of its role in operating such camps. This has prompted many people to boycott the film.
The CCP has barred human right organizations, foreign journalists and government officials from entering the region, but they gave Disney employees special access. The film’s production team reportedly spent months in the area researching and doing legwork before the film’s production. They also refer to Xinjiang as “northwest China” in subtitles to appease the Chinese government.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Apatow also spoke out about China, writing on Twitter last week: “They are not ‘detained’ they are being held in CONCENTRATION CAMPS. Apple uses that word because they don’t want to anger China. Maybe Disney and Apple should SPEAK UP & try to help a million people who were abducted and put in CONCENTRATION CAMPS.”
According to a report by freedom of speech nonprofit PEN America, Hollywood is “increasingly normalizing” censorship to gain access to the vast film audiences is China. The country is the second-biggest market in the world for cinematic releases behind the U.S. The group says the movie industry tailors every aspect of making movies to win over Beijing, including casting, dialogue, plot and content.
For example, they say that Disney’s Marvel Studios scrapped a major Tibetan character from their 2006 film Dr. Strange as Tibet is a politically sensitive topic in China. The CCP has been accused of human rights abuses there including forced abortion and sterilization, torture and restriction of religious freedoms. The film ended up being a big hit in China, bringing in $109 million there.
Last year, the trailer for the remake of Top Gun raised eyebrows when main character Maverick’s jacket no longer had flags for Taiwan and Japan on it. Taiwan is viewed by the CCP as being a breakaway province.
It’s not just Mulan; this is a widespread problem throughout Hollywood that is unlikely to change unless more people hit them where it hurts and boycott their productions.
Sources for this article include:
Breitbart.com
NationalReview.com
DailyMail.co.uk


VIX Uprising

As long time readers know I ’ m a big fan of $ VIX technical structures and compression patterns .
Often dismissed as non-chartable I think we ’ ve successfully to put that argument to bed a long time ago .
Recently in “ Key Charts ” I again outlined the $ VIX as one of the key charts to watch and it ’ s been interesting to say the least here during this OPEX week and hence I wanted to outline an update as a pattern is forming that suggests a major $ VIX uprising may be in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VIX again came under pressure into monthly $ VIX futures monthly contract roll-over , but interestingly it didn ’ t manage to fill the August gap which would have been standard fare if you will : The good news for bulls may be as now 3 open gaps have formed on the futures contract .
As ultimately all $ VIX gaps fill there is something to look forward to eventually for bulls .
But for now the $ VIX keeps telling a larger story that ’ s a lot more ominous .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an expression of central bank control and their self declared mission to “ calm ” markets .
During the most successful times of central bank interventions in recent years the $ VIX was very much compressed and contained .
Yet , despite trillions of interventions and the deceiving highs on indices such as $ SPX and $ NDX volatility has remained stubbornly high , all a reflection that perhaps central bank control is not as strong as it appears .
The $ VIX is anything but calm .
And so we can observe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ VIX ( and leading up to the compression phase of this OPEX week ) $ VIX again broke out of a smaller compression pattern : In recent months $ VIX has gotten crushed during every Friday like clockwork and perhaps it will again this Friday .
The issue is that all of these repetitive structures are forming what could be a much more ominous pattern that could even exceed my previous 46 target .
First point to make : This pattern at this stage is unconfirmed and it ’ s likely going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But this week ’ s low in the $ VIX matches up nicely with the July left shoulder and this summer ’ s low volume rally and summer lows in the $ VIX have formed a very clean head structure and the recent surge to 38 and subsequent drop this week have begun the process of forming a right shoulder .
How can this play out ?
What would confirm it ?
There are many possibilities of course .
Since we ’ re just at the beginning of the right shoulder formation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a quick spike toward the neckline , and then another rally in markets from there compressing the $ VIX again .
All of this would ironically firm the structure and make it potentially very potent into the October and November time frame , i.e .
into the US election .
The potential fire power of the pattern will have to be monitored as the pattern develops , but currently it suggests a $ VIX spike into the 55-70 range if the pattern confirms which would come with a break above the neckline .

Authored by Sven Henrich via NorthmanTrader.com,
As long time readers know I’m a big fan of $VIX technical structures and compression patterns. Often dismissed as non-chartable I think we’ve successfully to put that argument to bed a long time ago.
Recently in “Key Charts” I again outlined the $VIX as one of the key charts to watch and it’s been interesting to say the least here during this OPEX week and hence I wanted to outline an update as a pattern is forming that suggests a major $VIX uprising may be in the cards this fall.
Yes, $VIX again came under pressure into monthly $VIX futures monthly contract roll-over, but interestingly it didn’t manage to fill the August gap which would have been standard fare if you will:
The good news for bulls may be as now 3 open gaps have formed on the futures contract. As ultimately all $VIX gaps fill there is something to look forward to eventually for bulls. But for now the $VIX keeps telling a larger story that’s a lot more ominous.
In a way I regard the $VIX an expression of central bank control and their self declared mission to “calm” markets. During the most successful times of central bank interventions in recent years the $VIX was very much compressed and contained. Yet, despite trillions of interventions and the deceiving highs on indices such as $SPX and $NDX volatility has remained stubbornly high, all a reflection that perhaps central bank control is not as strong as it appears. The $VIX is anything but calm.
And so we can observe that following the latest breakout of the $VIX (and leading up to the compression phase of this OPEX week) $VIX again broke out of a smaller compression pattern:
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
In recent months $VIX has gotten crushed during every Friday like clockwork and perhaps it will again this Friday.
That’s not the issue.
The issue is that all of these repetitive structures are forming what could be a much more ominous pattern that could even exceed my previous 46 target.
The structure? A potential larger inverse pattern:
First point to make: This pattern at this stage is unconfirmed and it’s likely going to take some time to build fully. But this week’s low in the $VIX matches up nicely with the July left shoulder and this summer’s low volume rally and summer lows in the $VIX have formed a very clean head structure and the recent surge to 38 and subsequent drop this week have begun the process of forming a right shoulder.
How can this play out? What would confirm it? There are many possibilities of course. Since we’re just at the beginning of the right shoulder formation we may, for example, have a quick spike toward the neckline, and then another rally in markets from there compressing the $VIX again. All of this would ironically firm the structure and make it potentially very potent into the October and November time frame, i.e. into the US election.
The potential fire power of the pattern will have to be monitored as the pattern develops, but currently it suggests a $VIX spike into the 55-70 range if the pattern confirms which would come with a break above the neckline.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-19--Ruth Bader Ginsberg Dead

Ruth Bader Ginsberg Dead

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington , D.C. , @ @ @ @ @ pancreas cancer .
She was 87 years old .

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, D.C., due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. She was 87 years old.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 18, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-20--Stocks are Falling into Fall

Stocks are Falling into Fall

All three major stock-market indices completed three consecutive weeks of falling today as we head into fall next week .
The NASDAQ , as you see in the opening graph , has set up a clear trend of perfectly aligned closings this week .
This summary of the market in September — the bullseye for my target dates for the market ’ s big fail — will be short but sour , as I try to focus my writing time on my next Patron Post .
I just could not resist commenting on this week ’ s decisive market close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ byte The NASDAQ is important because it is loaded with those high-tech stocks that have been the only thing taking the market up at all year .
The generals , however are retreating .
Apple , for example , was the fastest to rise in the market ’ s melt-up stage and is already the fastest to have fallen into its own bear market , which it entered today by ending more than 22 % below its last all-time high on Sept. 1 .
That ’ s half a trillion in value snapped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Apple ’ s fastest fall into a bear market since 2008 when it lost half its value in forty days .
It may arguably be Apple ’ s fastest fall ever : Apple fell by 50 % in 21 days during the October surprise of 1987 .
However , that one took a few days longer and then mostly happened in one all-out market-busting day known as Black Monday .
It hardly counts , anyway , since Apple was only priced at $ 14.80 per share !
Algorithmic charts ( percentage drops ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as some claim , since it ’ s a lot easier to fall 50 % as a fledgling upstart almost single-product company when that only means share prices losing $ 7 than it is as a mature , multi-trillion-dollar , multi-product , multi-national company with hard assets and markets all over the world .
No comparison really .
Even in ’ 91 when Apple fell more in a month than it has this month , Apple ’ s share price was a measly $ 18.19 ; and in 2000 , its next comparable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 26.75 at its zenith and a couple of stock divisions away from today ’ s scalding prices .
On Sept. 4 , alone , Apple experienced the largest single-day loss in stock value of any US company in history .
So , it may be fair to claim this has been Apple ’ s fastest fall into a full-on bear market ever if you attempt to balance percentage drops from minuscule numbers with a half-trillion-dollar point drop in less than three weeks .
Even the 2008 plunge had forty days to play out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and I think this one hit its “ bear ” level sooner .
Possibly more important today than the NASDAQ ’ s downward trend for the month or the big bite out of the big Apple is the S & P ’ s close .
It finally hammered and held decisively below its 50-day moving average ( the tan line ) , which had provided a repeated floor of support this month : The S & P ’ s next level of support will come at the 3,200 level where it tags @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moving average .
Then it gets even stronger support around 3,000 , which has been both a ceiling and a floor of support in the past .
If you factor in its 200-day MA , you can see particularly strong support lines up in a zone between 3,000 and 3,100 where the most critical ( chart-wise ) 200 DMA is today and whatever point the 200 DMA drops to by the time the S & P 500 falls that far : If the S & P busts through all of those lines of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 2,200 .
On a weekly basis so far , September has been entirely downhill , and breaking decisively through the 50 DMA today is the first break past normally strong support , but a fight still lies ahead between the bulls and the bear at those various levels of support just described .
This month perfectly punctured the bullseye target range I ’ ve been providing of August and September being the most likely months in which the market would start , again , to catch down to economic reality .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basis began on the week that started on the last day of August .
On a daily basis , that break happened on the 3rd of September : Battle between the bulls and the bear I have been saying all along , I don ’ t see a big waterfall plunge like we had in March as being the most likely path down , even though I think we return to March ’ s lows and likely go substantially lower than that before we finally find the stock market ’ s ultimate bottom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a marathon battle between the bulls and the bear as most likely with the bear tearing away claws full of bullish flesh in painful swipe after swipe and eventually winning the day as the market hangs on those lines of support , maybe tries to rise from them , and then busts through again and again .
That ’ s because the bear has COVID winds at its back , while the bull has them in its face .
In other words , the damage to the economy from COVID-19 is already in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t see it because those COVID winds are stinging their eyes with tears .
Poor bulls just can not see the bear they are up against because they have been fantasizing about a recovery that never had a chance of happening as they hoped .
Those lines of fairly strong support in the graphs above only reinforce my stated likelihood of a more protracted battle than we saw in March .
However … The bulls were underFed and underwhelmed The Fed ’ s failure to do anything of importance for the stock market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fed is impotent at this point .
Today , MarketWatch noted how likely that is : If that ’ s their plan to avoid impotence , they are impotent .
The Fed hasn ’ t been able to get inflation up in ten years !
It may have help with government helicopter money this time around , which changes the game , as I ’ ve written in recent Patron Posts , but it ’ s not much of plan .
It comes to this : “ We ’ re going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest rates that are not saving the market this month anyway low enough until they finally work.
” That seemed to be the only policy plan the Fed had for September , and that plan already failed in March ( until the federal government finally stepped in with trillions in helicopter money , which it is now hesitating to do ) .
Now the Fed is failing again in September , so the bulls didn ’ t get much bulwark support from the Federal Reserve , which seems mostly concerned about reserving what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All the Fed offered in the face of a falling market was more of something that already isn ’ t doing anything .
Economically speaking , that adds up to , “ Our plan is to keep interest this low so as not not to crash the recovery that is already not happening !
” Perhaps it is needless to say , the bulls walked away from the Fed ’ s watering trough somewhat disgruntled this week .
There was no Viagra in the water .
Not a good week to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Portnoy was crying his eyes out with heartburn . )
While this battle between the bulls and the bear could play out painstakingly , I ’ ve also said more than once this summer that , when bad news aligns for the stock market at this particular time of year , October loves a surprise !
By that , I mean a hauntingly Halloweenish surprise any time during the month — a 1929 kind of surprise .
It ’ s not the scenario I ’ m betting on , but I wouldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing the bull in the picture above already has his mandatory mask on because this is a Halloween filled with COVID masks as well as gas masks in many major US cities due to riots and wildfires , accompanied by the sulfuric stink and fomentation of the most divisive election in a century .
So , who knows what wicked , blackened swan with the stench of hellfire on its singed feathers may this way come in October ?
After all , it ’ s 2020 — a year full of hellish surprises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks away !
A second waterfall kind of event for stocks this year has never been outside the scenario I ’ ve been consistently presenting since May for the stock market bulls ’ ongoing 2020 battle with the bear .
The bulls must now face the facts about how far short the re-opening recovery fell from their bulls $ & !
fantasies .
In more ways the one , the fall has not yet begun .

by David Haggith
All three major stock-market indices completed three consecutive weeks of falling today as we head into fall next week. The NASDAQ, as you see in the opening graph, has set up a clear trend of perfectly aligned closings this week.
This summary of the market in September — the bullseye for my target dates for the market’s big fail — will be short but sour, as I try to focus my writing time on my next Patron Post. I just could not resist commenting on this week’s decisive market close.
Apple loses more than one big byte
The NASDAQ is important because it is loaded with those high-tech stocks that have been the only thing taking the market up at all year. The generals, however are retreating.
Apple, for example, was the fastest to rise in the market’s melt-up stage and is already the fastest to have fallen into its own bear market, which it entered today by ending more than 22% below its last all-time high on Sept. 1. That’s half a trillion in value snapped off in what, today, became Apple’s fastest fall into a bear market since 2008 when it lost half its value in forty days. It may arguably be Apple’s fastest fall ever:
Apple fell by 50% in 21 days during the October surprise of 1987. However, that one took a few days longer and then mostly happened in one all-out market-busting day known as Black Monday. It hardly counts, anyway, since Apple was only priced at $14.80 per share!
Algorithmic charts (percentage drops) are not always the best comparison, as some claim, since it’s a lot easier to fall 50% as a fledgling upstart almost single-product company when that only means share prices losing $7 than it is as a mature, multi-trillion-dollar, multi-product, multi-national company with hard assets and markets all over the world. No comparison really.
Even in ’91 when Apple fell more in a month than it has this month, Apple’s share price was a measly $18.19; and in 2000, its next comparable plunge, it was still only $26.75 at its zenith and a couple of stock divisions away from today’s scalding prices.
On Sept. 4, alone, Apple experienced the largest single-day loss in stock value of any US company in history.
So, it may be fair to claim this has been Apple’s fastest fall into a full-on bear market ever if you attempt to balance percentage drops from minuscule numbers with a half-trillion-dollar point drop in less than three weeks. Even the 2008 plunge had forty days to play out, while this one is still ongoing, and I think this one hit its “bear” level sooner.
S&P 500 takes out key support
Possibly more important today than the NASDAQ’s downward trend for the month or the big bite out of the big Apple is the S&P’s close. It finally hammered and held decisively below its 50-day moving average (the tan line), which had provided a repeated floor of support this month:
U.S. stocks just posted their third consecutive weekly decline, and the S&P 500 just closed below its 50-day moving average for the first time since April…. Those types of moves are “yet further confirmation that the corrective process is ongoing….” The S&P 500 wasn’t the only index to fall below that technical level on Friday. The Nasdaq 100 fell below its 50-day moving average as well, for the first time in more than four months, according to Kolovos. He writes that the initial stages of the dot-com bust were marked by the Nasdaq 100 falling below its 50-day moving average…. Barron’s
Even so, a near-term rebound could be on its way, as “actual support levels are coming into play on the index as well as on the stock level….”
The S&P’s next level of support will come at the 3,200 level where it tags its recent plateau and its less-signficant 100-day moving average. Then it gets even stronger support around 3,000, which has been both a ceiling and a floor of support in the past.
If you factor in its 200-day MA, you can see particularly strong support lines up in a zone between 3,000 and 3,100 where the most critical (chart-wise) 200 DMA is today and whatever point the 200 DMA drops to by the time the S&P 500 falls that far:
If the S&P busts through all of those lines of support, it could be bottoms-away back to 2,200.
On a weekly basis so far, September has been entirely downhill, and breaking decisively through the 50 DMA today is the first break past normally strong support, but a fight still lies ahead between the bulls and the bear at those various levels of support just described.
This month perfectly punctured the bullseye target range I’ve been providing of August and September being the most likely months in which the market would start, again, to catch down to economic reality. The market’s decline on a weekly basis began on the week that started on the last day of August. On a daily basis, that break happened on the 3rd of September:
Bear’s advantage as the bulls face a COVID-19 headwind.
Battle between the bulls and the bear
I have been saying all along, I don’t see a big waterfall plunge like we had in March as being the most likely path down, even though I think we return to March’s lows and likely go substantially lower than that before we finally find the stock market’s ultimate bottom many moons from now.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
I see a marathon battle between the bulls and the bear as most likely with the bear tearing away claws full of bullish flesh in painful swipe after swipe and eventually winning the day as the market hangs on those lines of support, maybe tries to rise from them, and then busts through again and again.
That’s because the bear has COVID winds at its back, while the bull has them in its face. In other words, the damage to the economy from COVID-19 is already in, and the bulls just can’t see it because those COVID winds are stinging their eyes with tears. Poor bulls just cannot see the bear they are up against because they have been fantasizing about a recovery that never had a chance of happening as they hoped.
Those lines of fairly strong support in the graphs above only reinforce my stated likelihood of a more protracted battle than we saw in March. However …
The bulls were underFed and underwhelmed
The Fed’s failure to do anything of importance for the stock market this week also reinforced my position that the Fed is impotent at this point.
Today, MarketWatch noted how likely that is:
The Federal Reserve has said for some time that it didn’t want to become impotent with its policy rate stuck at zero. Now we know their plan of action to avoid this outcome. On Wednesday, the Fed rolled out of the final details of its new strategy, promising to allow inflation to overshoot its 2% target and setting a relatively strict criteria for the next interest-rate hike. One goal is to avoid past mistakes of tightening too soon to strangle a recovery….
If that’s their plan to avoid impotence, they are impotent. The Fed hasn’t been able to get inflation up in ten years! It may have help with government helicopter money this time around, which changes the game, as I’ve written in recent Patron Posts, but it’s not much of plan. It comes to this:
“We’re going to save the market by keeping our zeroed interest rates that are not saving the market this month anyway low enough until they finally work.”
That seemed to be the only policy plan the Fed had for September, and that plan already failed in March (until the federal government finally stepped in with trillions in helicopter money, which it is now hesitating to do). Now the Fed is failing again in September, so the bulls didn’t get much bulwark support from the Federal Reserve, which seems mostly concerned about reserving what’s left of its strength. All the Fed offered in the face of a falling market was more of something that already isn’t doing anything.
Economically speaking, that adds up to,
“Our plan is to keep interest this low so as not not to crash the recovery that is already not happening!”
Perhaps it is needless to say, the bulls walked away from the Fed’s watering trough somewhat disgruntled this week. There was no Viagra in the water. Not a good week to be a bull. (No wonder bullheaded Davie Portnoy was crying his eyes out with heartburn.)
Don’t be surprised by October
While this battle between the bulls and the bear could play out painstakingly, I’ve also said more than once this summer that, when bad news aligns for the stock market at this particular time of year, October loves a surprise!
By that, I mean a hauntingly Halloweenish surprise any time during the month — a 1929 kind of surprise. It’s not the scenario I’m betting on, but I wouldn’t be surprised by it.
Good thing the bull in the picture above already has his mandatory mask on because this is a Halloween filled with COVID masks as well as gas masks in many major US cities due to riots and wildfires, accompanied by the sulfuric stink and fomentation of the most divisive election in a century. So, who knows what wicked, blackened swan with the stench of hellfire on its singed feathers may this way come in October?
After all, it’s 2020 — a year full of hellish surprises — and October is less than two weeks away!
A second waterfall kind of event for stocks this year has never been outside the scenario I’ve been consistently presenting since May for the stock market bulls’ ongoing 2020 battle with the bear. The bulls must now face the facts about how far short the re-opening recovery fell from their bulls$&! fantasies.
In more ways the one, the fall has not yet begun.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-20--Basic Income Experiments Around the World

What if everyone received monthly payments to make life easier and encourage greater economic activity ?
That ’ s the exact premise behind Universal Basic Income ( UBI ) .
The idea of UBI as a means to both combat poverty and improve economic prospects has been around for decades .
With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on economies worldwide , momentum behind the idea has seen a resurgence among certain groups .
Of course , the money to fund basic income programs has to come from somewhere .
UBI relies heavily on government budgets or direct funding to cover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this trade-off between government spending and the potential benefits , there is a growing pool of data to draw inferences from .
In fact , basic income has been piloted and experimented on all around the world—but with a mixed bag of results .
UBI operates by giving people the means to meet basic necessities with a regular stipend .
In theory , this leaves them free to spend their money and resources on economic goods , or searching for better employment options .
Before examining the programs , it ’ s important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and universal basic income .
With these parameters in mind , and thanks to data from the Stanford Basic Income Lab , we ’ ve mapped 48 basic income programs that demonstrate multiple features of UBI and are regularly cited in basic income policy .
Some mapped programs are past experiments used to evaluate basic income .
Others are ongoing or new pilots , including recently launched programs in Germany and Spain .
Recently , Canada joined the list as countries considering UBI as a top policy priority in a post-COVID world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ around basic income can be implemented in many different ways .
Basic income pilots have seen many iterations across the globe .
Many paid out in U.S. dollars , while others chose to stick with local currencies ( marked by an asterisk for estimated USD value ) .
Many of the programs meet the classical requirements of UBI .
Of the 48 basic income programs tallied above , 75 % paid out monthly , and 60 % were paid out to individuals .
However , for various reasons , not all of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 38 % of the basic income programs were paid out to households instead of individuals , and many programs have paid out in lump sums or over varying time frames .
Interestingly , the need for better understanding of basic income has resulted in many divergences between programs .
Some programs were only targeted at specific groups like South Korea ’ s Basic Income for Farmers program , while others like the Baby ’ s First Years program in the U.S. have been experimenting with different dollar amounts in order to evaluate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off of the total income of recipients .
For example , in the U.S. , the Rural Income and New Jersey Income Maintenance Experiments paid out using a negative income tax ( return ) on earnings , while recipients of Canada ’ s Ontario Basic Income Pilot received fixed amounts minus 50 % of their earned income .
So is basic income the real deal or a pipe dream ?
The results are still unclear .
Some , like the initial pilots for Uganda ’ s Eight program , were found to result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well-being .
Other programs , however , returned mixed results that made further experimentation difficult .
Finland ’ s highly-touted pilot program decreased stress levels of recipients across the board , but didn ’ t positively impact work activity .
The biggest difficulty has been in keeping programs going and securing funding .
Ontario ’ s three-year projects were prematurely cancelled in 2018 before they could be completed and assessed , and the next stages of Finland ’ s program are in limbo .
Likewise in the U.S. , start-up incubator Y Combinator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ income study program , but can ’ t proceed until funding is secured .
In light of COVID-19 , basic income has once again taken center stage .
Many countries have already implemented payment schemes or boosted unemployment benefits in reaction to the pandemic .
Others like Spain have used that momentum to launch fully-fledged basic income pilots .
It ’ s still too early to tell if UBI will live up to expectations or if the idea will fizzle out , but as new experiments and policy programs take shape , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for policymakers to evaluate .

by visualcapitalist
What if everyone received monthly payments to make life easier and encourage greater economic activity? That’s the exact premise behind Universal Basic Income (UBI).
The idea of UBI as a means to both combat poverty and improve economic prospects has been around for decades. With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on economies worldwide, momentum behind the idea has seen a resurgence among certain groups.
Of course, the money to fund basic income programs has to come from somewhere. UBI relies heavily on government budgets or direct funding to cover the regular payments.
As policymakers examine this trade-off between government spending and the potential benefits, there is a growing pool of data to draw inferences from. In fact, basic income has been piloted and experimented on all around the world—but with a mixed bag of results.
What Makes Basic Income Universal?
UBI operates by giving people the means to meet basic necessities with a regular stipend. In theory, this leaves them free to spend their money and resources on economic goods, or searching for better employment options.
Before examining the programs, it’s important to make a distinction between basic income and universal basic income.
With these parameters in mind, and thanks to data from the Stanford Basic Income Lab, we’ve mapped 48 basic income programs that demonstrate multiple features of UBI and are regularly cited in basic income policy.
Some mapped programs are past experiments used to evaluate basic income. Others are ongoing or new pilots, including recently launched programs in Germany and Spain.
Recently, Canada joined the list as countries considering UBI as a top policy priority in a post-COVID world. But as past experiments show, ideas around basic income can be implemented in many different ways.
Basic Income Programs Took Many Forms
Basic income pilots have seen many iterations across the globe. Many paid out in U.S. dollars, while others chose to stick with local currencies (marked by an asterisk for estimated USD value).
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Many of the programs meet the classical requirements of UBI. Of the 48 basic income programs tallied above, 75% paid out monthly, and 60% were paid out to individuals.
However, for various reasons, not all of these programs follow UBI requirements. For example, 38% of the basic income programs were paid out to households instead of individuals, and many programs have paid out in lump sums or over varying time frames.
Interestingly, the need for better understanding of basic income has resulted in many divergences between programs. Some programs were only targeted at specific groups like South Korea’s Basic Income for Farmers program, while others like the Baby’s First Years program in the U.S. have been experimenting with different dollar amounts in order to evaluate efficiency.
Other experiments based payments made off of the total income of recipients. For example, in the U.S., the Rural Income and New Jersey Income Maintenance Experiments paid out using a negative income tax (return) on earnings, while recipients of Canada’s Ontario Basic Income Pilot received fixed amounts minus 50% of their earned income.
Varying Programs with Varied Results
So is basic income the real deal or a pipe dream? The results are still unclear.
Some, like the initial pilots for Uganda’s Eight program, were found to result in significant multipliers on economic activity and well-being. Other programs, however, returned mixed results that made further experimentation difficult. Finland’s highly-touted pilot program decreased stress levels of recipients across the board, but didn’t positively impact work activity.
The biggest difficulty has been in keeping programs going and securing funding. Ontario’s three-year projects were prematurely cancelled in 2018 before they could be completed and assessed, and the next stages of Finland’s program are in limbo.
Likewise in the U.S., start-up incubator Y Combinator has been planning a $60M basic income study program, but can’t proceed until funding is secured.
A Post-COVID Future for UBI?
In light of COVID-19, basic income has once again taken center stage.
Many countries have already implemented payment schemes or boosted unemployment benefits in reaction to the pandemic. Others like Spain have used that momentum to launch fully-fledged basic income pilots.
It’s still too early to tell if UBI will live up to expectations or if the idea will fizzle out, but as new experiments and policy programs take shape, a growing amount of data will become available for policymakers to evaluate.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-19--DOD ADMITS DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS ARE IN USE, ELUDES TO WAR

The Department of Defense has admitted that directed energy weapons are in use .
Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said at the Air Force Association ’ s Virtual Air , Space & Cyber Conference that America ’ s air , space , and cyber warriors “ will be at the forefront of tomorrow ’ s high-end fight.
” Tomorrow ’ s high-end fight ?
Is there a war coming we don ’ t know about ?
But that ’ s not the only thing he admitted .
The Pentagon is going to ramp up their efforts to use whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest defense budget in history to do it .
He also blames the use of directed energy weapons ( DEWs ) on Russia and China .
Esper says China and Russia have placed weapons on satellites and are developing directed energy weapons to exploit U.S. systems “ and chip away at our military advantage , ” he said .
“ In this era of great power competition , we can not take for granted the United States ’ long-held advantages , ” Esper said .
The last time an enemy force dropped a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Korean War , according to Defense.gov .
“ China and Russia , seek to erode our longstanding dominance in airpower through long-range fires , anti-access/area-denial systems , and other asymmetric capabilities designed to counter our strengths , ” he said .
“ Meanwhile , in space , Moscow and Beijing have turned a once peaceful arena into a warfighting domain.
” A directed-energy weapon was caught on a live stream a few days ago starting and even making worse those fires worse .
After being caught on a United States live website , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would the U.S. censor that if Russia or China had been guilty ?
Are Directed Energy Weapons Starting Fires In California and Oregon !
?
Take the time to listen to Esper if you can .
He ’ s basically outlining a future dystopia filled with war and death on a massive scale using whatever technology they want no matter how “ unconventional.
” These are interesting times , folks .
Pay attention and stay alert .
This could be some kind of a psyop disused as an announcement , or it could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s hard to say right now , but this video is an admission by the U.S. government that this kind of technology exists .

by Mac Slavo of SHTFplan
The Department of Defense has admitted that directed energy weapons are in use. Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said at the Air Force Association’s Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference that America’s air, space, and cyber warriors “will be at the forefront of tomorrow’s high-end fight.”
Tomorrow’s high-end fight? Is there a war coming we don’t know about? But that’s not the only thing he admitted. The Pentagon is going to ramp up their efforts to use whatever means necessary as weapons, using the largest defense budget in history to do it.
The military stood up U.S. Space Command a year ago, and Congress created the U.S. Space Force. The command is charged with operations and the USSF looks to man, train and equip the force. The new service has already submitted a budget and has released its first doctrine — Spacepower. -Defense.gov
He also blames the use of directed energy weapons (DEWs) on Russia and China. Esper says China and Russia have placed weapons on satellites and are developing directed energy weapons to exploit U.S. systems “and chip away at our military advantage,” he said.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
“In this era of great power competition, we cannot take for granted the United States’ long-held advantages,” Esper said.
The last time an enemy force dropped a bomb on American troops was in the Korean War, according to Defense.gov. “China and Russia, seek to erode our longstanding dominance in airpower through long-range fires, anti-access/area-denial systems, and other asymmetric capabilities designed to counter our strengths,” he said. “Meanwhile, in space, Moscow and Beijing have turned a once peaceful arena into a warfighting domain.”
A directed-energy weapon was caught on a live stream a few days ago starting and even making worse those fires worse. After being caught on a United States live website, the energy beam was censored. Why would the U.S. censor that if Russia or China had been guilty?
Are Directed Energy Weapons Starting Fires In California and Oregon!?
Take the time to listen to Esper if you can. He’s basically outlining a future dystopia filled with war and death on a massive scale using whatever technology they want no matter how “unconventional.” These are interesting times, folks. Pay attention and stay alert. This could be some kind of a psyop disused as an announcement, or it could be something much worse. It’s hard to say right now, but this video is an admission by the U.S. government that this kind of technology exists.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-19--Dems threaten more arson/riots if Trump tries to replace RBG

Political writer Laura Bassett echoed a similar sentiment , but stopped short of making a threat , writing : “ @ @ @ @ @ , which he will , there will be riots .
… *more , bigger riots @ @

If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire fucking thing down. — Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan) September 19, 2020
If McConnell jams someone through, which he will, there will be riots. — Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) September 18, 2020
Political writer Laura Bassett echoed a similar sentiment, but stopped short of making a threat, writing: “If McConnell jams someone through, which he will, there will be riots. … *more, bigger riots.”
www.dailywire.com/news/media-figures-threaten-riots-if-gop-tries-to-fill-scotus-seat-burn-it-all-down
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
h/t Covicculus


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-19--Why are the people in the positions of power and running for the positions of power so old that they

Why are the people in the positions of power and running for the positions of power so old that they are genuinely in their last years of life?

It seems that politicians are getting older and older .
In my own experience with aging relatives who held positions of power when they were younger ; you only get slower , more jaded and more subjective as you get older and nearer to your end .
Why are these the people being chosen to make the decisions that run our society ?
Surely a healthy 40 year old at their peak of life is more fit physically and mentally to objectively hold a position of power than say an 86 year old ?
The supreme court justice Ruth Bader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court said Friday .
She was 87 .
Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the court in history and became a liberal icon for her sharp questioning of witnesses and intellectually rigorous defenses of civil liberties , reproductive rights , first amendment rights and equal protections under the law .
In a statement , the court said Ginsburg , who served more than 27 years on the bench , “ died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington DC , due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roberts , said that the nation “ has lost a jurist of historic stature .
We at the supreme court have lost a cherished colleague .
Today we mourn , but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her – a tireless and resolute champion of justice.
” Her death thrust an immediate spotlight on who might fill the vacancy on the court , with just over six weeks before the election .
The news was received with alarm by liberals and moderates who feared that Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a third Donald Trump appointee on the supreme court .

It seems that politicians are getting older and older. In my own experience with aging relatives who held positions of power when they were younger; you only get slower, more jaded and more subjective as you get older and nearer to your end. Why are these the people being chosen to make the decisions that run our society? Surely a healthy 40 year old at their peak of life is more fit physically and mentally to objectively hold a position of power than say an 86 year old?
The supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of pancreatic cancer, the court said Friday. She was 87.
Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the court in history and became a liberal icon for her sharp questioning of witnesses and intellectually rigorous defenses of civil liberties, reproductive rights, first amendment rights and equal protections under the law.
In a statement, the court said Ginsburg, who served more than 27 years on the bench, “died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington DC, due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer”.
The chief justice, John Roberts, said that the nation “has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the supreme court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her – a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Her death thrust an immediate spotlight on who might fill the vacancy on the court, with just over six weeks before the election. The news was received with alarm by liberals and moderates who feared that Republicans would exploit the narrow window to install a third Donald Trump appointee on the supreme court.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-19--Collapse Is A Process, Not An Event

Collapse Is A Process, Not An Event

Look , I ’ m a systems guy .
I think in systems terms .
You should as well .
Because we ’ re entering a period of time when the major systems that have supported humanity are going to fail .
Or , put more accurately : they are already failing .
As just one example , our monetary system delivers outsized gains to the already stupendously-wealthy while piling up massive debts on the backs of we citizens , both born and yet-to-be-born .
The US Federal Reserve is the unelected and unaccountable body that is most responsible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1 trillion ‘ richer ’ since the pandemic hit .
These next three Fed-related data points are , in a word , obscene .
The first shows that the US Federal Reserve now “ owns ” more US federal debt than all foreign central banks ( do you really “ own ” something if you didn ’ t have to work for it at all ? )
.
The second shows how billionaires are getting grotesquely wealthier from the Fed ’ s “ rescue ’ ” efforts .
The third shows how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has enabled a truly historic explosion in federal debt .
Those data points are obscene ( and infuriating ) to anyone who cares about the future .
Leaving aside the morality issues for a moment , we can at least conclude that the behaviors and values on display are thoroughly unsustainable .
Eventually spending more money than you have ends in ruin .
Eventually a society that distributes wealth unfairly to the tippy-top will tip over .
Speaking of spending what you don ’ t have , a similar story can be told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extractive practices .
Our current rates of resource extraction are akin to spending both the interest and some of the principal each year from our environmental trust fund .
There aren ’ t many resources that one can point to which aren ’ t in some serious form of either decline or depletion , or both .
It ’ s concerning to anyone who can think forward a few years , or who cares about the world they are leaving behind for future generations .
In other , but related , news thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the American West are considering relocating because of the ever-present danger of disruptive if not life-threatening fires : The climate refugees are here .
They ’ re Americans .
California , Oregon , and Washington are on fire .
At least 33 people have died in recent days , and more than 5 million acres have been scorched as out-of-control blazes rage across the American West .
The 2020 wildfire season in California is already the most destructive in the state ’ s history — exceeding the record set in 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2017 .
Experts agree that rising temperatures from climate change have turned much of the region into dry kindling , ready to spark in an instant .
“ This is a climate damn emergency , ” California Gov .
Gavin Newsom said last week .
Disasters like these displace people .
Tens of thousands of fire survivors have been forced to flee their homes , and more than 500,000 — half a million — Oregonians have been warned they might soon be ordered to leave .
In the meantime , many evacuees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RVs , cars , and tents.
” Many do not know if their homes will still be standing when they try to return , or where they will go if those houses are indeed destroyed .
The fires will eventually end , but for many residents of the region , the disaster is just beginning .
The climate refugee crisis has come to America .
I ’ m less certain that we can pin these fires entirely on climate change , as poor land use and fire suppression practices factor in prominently .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the afflicted people will be convinced that wide-scale annual fires are now a permanent feature of the region , and that will cause many to move to ‘ safer ’ places .
Once that perception is solidly in place , the masses will relocate .
Similarly , we ’ ll see people abandon coastal areas which are already losing battles to rising sea levels , and other areas where droughts are getting worse and worse .
However you add up the data points , they coalesce into one theme : massive and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either ignore that reality for a while longer .
Or get busy responding .
The hardest part about detecting collapse lies not with the data – that is clear as a bell ringing on a still morning – but with the emotional difficulty of accepting it ( and then acting on it ) .
There ’ s a lot of science behind how we humans are wired to accept or reject information based on whether it confirms or refutes , respectively , the belief systems we are already holding .
Nobody desires harder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose financial ground or leave behind a worse world for their children .
But what we want has nothing to do with the reality of the situation .
What we want is usually based on our preexisting belief systems .
If those are out of alignment with the actual reality of the situation , then our best chances for personal success lie with adjusting our beliefs as rapidly as we can .
While our brains can come up with some clever delaying tactics and can-kicking technologies , the reality is that we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planet , subject to the same rules as every other life form .
When we have ample resources available to us , we ’ re peaceful , creative creatures .
We do really cool things , like figure out germ theory and make computer chips .
But what happens when resources are tight , or even insufficient to support daily life ?
Then humans act badly towards each other and become tribal , but not in a good way .
We squabble and go to war over dwindling resources .
We do this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy with a proven track record , we do it because of our inability to wisely recognize the resource limitations in advance and cleverly avoid them .
During such times , the elites have a noted tendency to cling ever more tightly to their relative advantage rather than yield anything towards the common good : That ’ s what ’ s underway right now .
Economic oxygen is in short supply and the elites are busy hoovering up for themselves a gigantically-larger share of that dwindling air ( see billionaire headline above ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow citizens find themselves increasingly financially strangled .
On the political side , the only true political commitment I can detect ( and it ’ s equal in both US political parties ) is to defend the status quo .
In other words , they are committed to keeping the causes of our problems fixed firmly in place .
As this all progresses , most will experience the changes as a series of shocks , perhaps coming at too rapid of a pace for some to absorb and so it will become overwhelming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will make it all very hard to accept , for myself included ( even though I consider myself a very fast adjuster ) .
As our systems continue to fail , shrink , or even collapse , the pace of the changes will continue to be emotionally shocking .
I wish it wasn ’ t so .
Frustratingly , it didn ’ t have to be this way .
The ‘ prediction ’ that stems from all this is not really a prediction at all but rather a simple extrapolation : things are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Collapse is underway — and it ’ s a process , not an event .
To protect their relative advantage , the elites will pretend the problems are difficult to address and resist dealing with them .
This means the future will consist of a larger wealth gap , greater social and political tensions , more violence , less nutritious food , fewer insects and other species , more climate change , and a hard date with future resource scarcity .
And I mean hard .
None of which is actually all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nor is it something to be necessarily feared .
As a species we ’ ve faced plenty of difficult times in the past and gotten through them .
But some do manage to get through them better than others .
That will be equally true this time , too .
How does one ‘ get ahead ’ during hard times ?
In Part 2 : My Personal Formula For Success I provide a no-holes-barred transparency into how I am pursuing preparing for the coming future , as well as what efforts are working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s nothing about my formula that you can ’ t adapt and make your own .
But you do have to follow it .
And to do that , you have to start using the time you have left with an appropriate sense of urgency .
Click here to read Part 2 of this report ( free executive summary , enrollment required for full access ) .

by Chris Martenson
Look, I’m a systems guy. I think in systems terms. You should as well.
Why?
Because we’re entering a period of time when the major systems that have supported humanity are going to fail.
Or, put more accurately: they are already failing.
As just one example, our monetary system delivers outsized gains to the already stupendously-wealthy while piling up massive debts on the backs of we citizens, both born and yet-to-be-born. The US Federal Reserve is the unelected and unaccountable body that is most responsible for having made America’s billionaires nearly $1 trillion ‘richer’ since the pandemic hit.
These next three Fed-related data points are, in a word, obscene.
The first shows that the US Federal Reserve now “owns” more US federal debt than all foreign central banks (do you really “own” something if you didn’t have to work for it at all?).
The second shows how billionaires are getting grotesquely wealthier from the Fed’s “rescue’” efforts.
The third shows how the Fed’s record-low interest policy has enabled a truly historic explosion in federal debt.
————————————————————————————————————–
(Source)
————————————————————————————————————–
(Source)
Those data points are obscene (and infuriating) to anyone who cares about the future. Leaving aside the morality issues for a moment, we can at least conclude that the behaviors and values on display are thoroughly unsustainable.
Eventually spending more money than you have ends in ruin. Eventually a society that distributes wealth unfairly to the tippy-top will tip over.
Speaking of spending what you don’t have, a similar story can be told about ecological overshoot and humanity’s extractive practices. Our current rates of resource extraction are akin to spending both the interest and some of the principal each year from our environmental trust fund.
There aren’t many resources that one can point to which aren’t in some serious form of either decline or depletion, or both. It’s concerning to anyone who can think forward a few years, or who cares about the world they are leaving behind for future generations.
In other, but related, news thousands, if not millions, of people in the American West are considering relocating because of the ever-present danger of disruptive if not life-threatening fires:
The climate refugees are here. They’re Americans. California, Oregon, and Washington are on fire. At least 33 people have died in recent days, and more than 5 million acres have been scorched as out-of-control blazes rage across the American West. The 2020 wildfire season in California is already the most destructive in the state’s history — exceeding the record set in 2018, which in turn beat the record set in 2017. Experts agree that rising temperatures from climate change have turned much of the region into dry kindling, ready to spark in an instant. “This is a climate damn emergency,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week. Disasters like these displace people. Tens of thousands of fire survivors have been forced to flee their homes, and more than 500,000 — half a million — Oregonians have been warned they might soon be ordered to leave. In the meantime, many evacuees are sheltering “in an assortment of RVs, cars, and tents.” Many do not know if their homes will still be standing when they try to return, or where they will go if those houses are indeed destroyed. The fires will eventually end, but for many residents of the region, the disaster is just beginning. The climate refugee crisis has come to America. (Source)
I’m less certain that we can pin these fires entirely on climate change, as poor land use and fire suppression practices factor in prominently. But I’m certain that many of the afflicted people will be convinced that wide-scale annual fires are now a permanent feature of the region, and that will cause many to move to ‘safer’ places.
Once that perception is solidly in place, the masses will relocate. Similarly, we’ll see people abandon coastal areas which are already losing battles to rising sea levels, and other areas where droughts are getting worse and worse.
However you add up the data points, they coalesce into one theme: massive and disruptive change has arrived.
You can either ignore that reality for a while longer. Or get busy responding.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Man, It’s Hard
The hardest part about detecting collapse lies not with the data – that is clear as a bell ringing on a still morning – but with the emotional difficulty of accepting it (and then acting on it).
There’s a lot of science behind how we humans are wired to accept or reject information based on whether it confirms or refutes, respectively, the belief systems we are already holding.
Nobody desires harder times for themselves. Nobody wants to lose financial ground or leave behind a worse world for their children.
But what we want has nothing to do with the reality of the situation.
What we want is usually based on our preexisting belief systems. If those are out of alignment with the actual reality of the situation, then our best chances for personal success lie with adjusting our beliefs as rapidly as we can.
While our brains can come up with some clever delaying tactics and can-kicking technologies, the reality is that we’re just another organism on a crowded planet, subject to the same rules as every other life form.
When we have ample resources available to us, we’re peaceful, creative creatures. We do really cool things, like figure out germ theory and make computer chips.
But what happens when resources are tight, or even insufficient to support daily life?
Then humans act badly towards each other and become tribal, but not in a good way. We squabble and go to war over dwindling resources. We do this not because it’s a dominant strategy with a proven track record, we do it because of our inability to wisely recognize the resource limitations in advance and cleverly avoid them.
During such times, the elites have a noted tendency to cling ever more tightly to their relative advantage rather than yield anything towards the common good:
“People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage.” — John Kenneth Galbraith
That’s what’s underway right now. Economic oxygen is in short supply and the elites are busy hoovering up for themselves a gigantically-larger share of that dwindling air (see billionaire headline above) even as tens of millions of their fellow citizens find themselves increasingly financially strangled.
On the political side, the only true political commitment I can detect (and it’s equal in both US political parties) is to defend the status quo. In other words, they are committed to keeping the causes of our problems fixed firmly in place.
As this all progresses, most will experience the changes as a series of shocks, perhaps coming at too rapid of a pace for some to absorb and so it will become overwhelming to them. The emotional costs involved will make it all very hard to accept, for myself included (even though I consider myself a very fast adjuster).
As our systems continue to fail, shrink, or even collapse, the pace of the changes will continue to be emotionally shocking. I wish it wasn’t so. Frustratingly, it didn’t have to be this way.
Conclusion
The ‘prediction’ that stems from all this is not really a prediction at all but rather a simple extrapolation: things are going to continue on their current trajectories. Collapse is underway — and it’s a process, not an event.
To protect their relative advantage, the elites will pretend the problems are difficult to address and resist dealing with them.
This means the future will consist of a larger wealth gap, greater social and political tensions, more violence, less nutritious food, fewer insects and other species, more climate change, and a hard date with future resource scarcity. And I mean hard.
None of which is actually all that unique in the human experience. Nor is it something to be necessarily feared.
As a species we’ve faced plenty of difficult times in the past and gotten through them. But some do manage to get through them better than others. That will be equally true this time, too.
How does one ‘get ahead’ during hard times?
In Part 2: My Personal Formula For Success I provide a no-holes-barred transparency into how I am pursuing preparing for the coming future, as well as what efforts are working most effectively for me thus far.
There’s nothing about my formula that you can’t adapt and make your own. But you do have to follow it. And to do that, you have to start using the time you have left with an appropriate sense of urgency.
Click here to read Part 2 of this report (free executive summary, enrollment required for full access).


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-19--Andrews – The Madman of Australia – A Place No Longer Safe for Investment?

Andrews is just unbelievable .
There will always be diseases that are part of nature .
Viruses are born and their role in nature is to thin the herd .
These coronaviruses are typically the common cold and target the elderly .
Many die from this category of viruses because they attack the breathing capacity .
Anyone with an elderly parent knows the danger of losing them is always in the flu season .
As stated below , to be the equivalent to the Spanish Flu which killed about 60 million people , today that would need to be over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus kill about 900,000 .
This by no means justified destroying the world economy .
The lockdowns were supposed to be needed because the hospital would be overwhelmed .
That NEVER happened .
There is just no justification for this and Andrews is either taking bribes , or he is an idiot and has no way to retain power unless he then abolishes elections .
The audacity of him saying stop protesting and nobody will get hurt after the police kicked a man in the head putting him in a coma are the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respect human rights nor the principles of a free society .
He must long for unlimited dictatorial powers .
Obviously , Australia is not a place for foreign investment when the federal government will not stop this madman .
There is great concern that Victoria police themselves had indicated it was the force ’ s “ preference ” that private guards be used as the “ first line of security ” .
The use of private guards may also explain why they are so ruthless .
If they are not from Victoria , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and do not have to go home to a local wife and kids .
This is not an issue that is given much investigation .
Meanwhile , the Victoria police have issued nearly 20,000 fines for Covid-19 violations so far during a pandemic .
Now Andrews calls anyone who disagrees with him a “ conspiracy theorist ” and wants to imprison them .
He has completely lost all sense of what a free society is all about .
What ’ s next ?
He will seek extradition internationally for anyone who criticizes him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for reporting the truth .
Australia should send in federal troops to remove this madman .
He has rendered Australia a place UNFIT for international investment .
Even those you store their silver and gold at the Perth Mint are getting nervous and rightly so .

by Martin Armstrong
Andrews is just unbelievable. There will always be diseases that are part of nature. Viruses are born and their role in nature is to thin the herd. These coronaviruses are typically the common cold and target the elderly. Many die from this category of viruses because they attack the breathing capacity. Anyone with an elderly parent knows the danger of losing them is always in the flu season. As stated below, to be the equivalent to the Spanish Flu which killed about 60 million people, today that would need to be over 200 million. We have seen this coronavirus kill about 900,000. This by no means justified destroying the world economy.
The lockdowns were supposed to be needed because the hospital would be overwhelmed. That NEVER happened. There is just no justification for this and Andrews is either taking bribes, or he is an idiot and has no way to retain power unless he then abolishes elections. The audacity of him saying stop protesting and nobody will get hurt after the police kicked a man in the head putting him in a coma are the words of someone who clearly does not respect human rights nor the principles of a free society. He must long for unlimited dictatorial powers. Obviously, Australia is not a place for foreign investment when the federal government will not stop this madman.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
There is great concern that Victoria police themselves had indicated it was the force’s “preference” that private guards be used as the “first line of security”. The use of private guards may also explain why they are so ruthless. If they are not from Victoria, they have no connection to the community and do not have to go home to a local wife and kids. This is not an issue that is given much investigation. Meanwhile, the Victoria police have issued nearly 20,000 fines for Covid-19 violations so far during a pandemic.
Now Andrews calls anyone who disagrees with him a “conspiracy theorist” and wants to imprison them. He has completely lost all sense of what a free society is all about. What’s next? He will seek extradition internationally for anyone who criticizes him? Perhaps he will imprison Sky News for reporting the truth.
Australia should send in federal troops to remove this madman. He has rendered Australia a place UNFIT for international investment. Even those you store their silver and gold at the Perth Mint are getting nervous and rightly so.