GOV/MIL Main "Great Reset" Thread

[marsh]

What They Aren't Telling People About EVs | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

What They Aren't Telling People About EVs​

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 02:25 PM
Via EricPetersAutos.com,

Everyone knows – well, everyone has heard – that EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeeeeee are the vehicles for solving what is said to be the “climate crisis” – which is an interesting thing to say, given the EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeeees being produced are much more powerful than they need to be to get people from A to B. That requires huge batteries, to store all the electricity needed to make them go very fast, very quickly.

You’d think that would be discouraged – even banned – if there is a “crisis” looming that is being caused by the “emission” of carbon dioxide. After all, more of the latter is being “emitted” than necessary by the utility plants that generate almost all of the electricity that powers over-powered EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeees.


Does anyone need to get 60 in 2.9 seconds? Or even six? If there is a “crisis,” that is. Yet practically every EeeeeeeVeeeeee on the market is designed specifically to use up more power than is needed for bare-minimum or even economy-car-equivalent basic transportation needs.

This tells you something about the true nature of the “crisis” – and those who say it is one. If a ship on the open sea has sprung a leak and is sinking, do you open more holes below the waterline?

There are some other things about EeeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeeees they aren’t telling you about as well.

You can’t “fast” charge an EeeeeeeeeVeeeeee at home –
Practically every article gushing about EeeeeeeVeeeeeees will report on the fact that it is possible to “fast”charge an EeeeeeeeeeeVeeee in about 30 minutes. Some will gushingly report that – soon! – you’ll be able to do it in less than 15 minutes. What they never tell you is that you cannot do this at home.

Because private homes do not have the capability to “fast” charge an EeeeeeVeeeee. The very “fastest” you can charge an EeeeeeeeeeVeeee at a private home is in around eight-nine hours, on a 240 volt (dryer-type) outlet.

You will never be able to “fast” charge an EeeeeeeeeVeeeee at home. Not without completely rewiring the home to commercial-grade capacity. This means you will always have to drive to wherever the “fast” charger is – and wait there. This means spending time getting to (and from) the “fast” charger.

Which means spending more time “fast” charging. Thirty minutes to “fast” charge” ends up being that plus however long it took to drive there, plus the wait there.

And that “15 minutes” – soon! – they also gush about? They do not tell you that while it might be “faster” it is less. As in, not a full recharge. Just enough to get going again. But not very far – before you’ll need to stop (and wait) again.



Speaking of which . . .

A “fast” charge is never a full charge –
Whenever you read an article gushing about EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeees and the miracle of taking at least five times as long to “fast” charge it vs. the five minutes it takes to refuel a non-EeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeee, you will never encounter the disclaimer that the “fast” charge is only 80 percent charged. In other words, you end up with 20 percent less charge than a full charge, which means 20 percent less range . . . which means having to stop (again) 20 percent sooner.

The reason why you cannot – well, should not – “fast” charge an EeeeeeVeeeee to fully charged is because it is hard on the battery, which is the most expensive part of an EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeee. There is also an increased fire risk. So EeeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeees (and “fast” chargers) are set up to deliver 80 percent charge “fast” – and the rest, slow.

This 20 percent loss of charge-range – assuming you don’t have time to wait for a full (slow) charge – is probably not a huge big deal if you aren’t going far or have the time to stop and wait (again). But if you’re on a long trip, you’ll be stopping – and waiting – more than you’ve been led to believe you will be.

Speaking of that . . .

The farther you drive, the shorter the service life –
If you drive an EeeeeeeeVeeeeee to the limit of its range, you will have heavily discharged its battery pack. If you want the battery pack to last you should avoid doing this, because regularly discharging a battery is likely to reduce the life of the battery. Meaning, its capacity to hold the charge (and so, deliver the range) it advertised when new. This is why hybrid cars are designed to always keep the battery partially charged. Even so, a hybrid car’s battery pack eventually loses its capacity to hold charge and must be replaced.

But EeeeeeeeeVeeeeees have no gas engine on board to keep the battery from being heavily discharged. This presents a paradox: If you use the EeeeeeeeeVeeeeee’s advertised range you are reducing the battery pack’s service life. Put another way: The EeeeeeeeVeeeeeee’s advertised range is functionally about 30 percent less-than-advertised, if you want to avoid having to spend 30-50 percent as much as the EeeeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeee itself cost you on a replacement battery pack before it is time to replace the EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeee, itself.

You have probably not heard about this, either. But you really ought to know about it, if you’re thinking about buying an EeeeeeeeVeeeee.

There are some other things to know about EeeeeeeeVeeeees, too.



If you don’t have a garage, where will you plug in your EeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeee? Will you be able to run an extension cord from inside your house – or apartment – to wherever the EeeeeeeeVeeeeee is parked?

Did you know that leaving an EeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeee garaged outside – in the cold – will result in the EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeee’s range when you parked it being less when you get up the next day to drive it?

This is because EeeeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeees burn power even when they aren’t being used – because EeeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeees have powered heating (and cooling) systems that are always on – to keep the battery from getting too cold (or too hot). That means needing to keep the EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeee plugged in, to avoid loss of charge while it’s just sitting – especially if it is sitting outside, in the cold (or heat).



Finally – for those who are considering an EeeeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeee because they believe that they are thereby reducing their “carbon footprint”: You are probably increasing it. For two reasons.

One, EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeees do not last as long as non-EeeeeeeeeeVeeeeees – because EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeee battery packs do not last as long as non-EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeees do and cost more than it’s worth to replace them when they can no longer power the EeeeeeeeVeeeee. That means a new EeeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeeeee sooner. Which means new raw materials (and carbon dioxide “emissions”) to make the new EeeeeeeeeeVeeeeee – which will be just as prematurely disposable as the old EeeeeeeeeeVeeeeee.

Two, because EeeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeeees are energy hogs. Even the small ones like the Tesla 3 – which is a compact-sized car comparable to a Honda Civic sedan – has more than 1,000 pounds of battery pack, which it uses to deliver the speedy 0-60 times it touts. But that entails a probable doubling of the size of the battery pack that would otherwise be needed to deliver adequate (rather than “ludicrous”) speed – and also uses twice (or more) the power needed to keep it charged up. Almost all of that power – especially the commercial-grade power available at “fast” chargers – produced by combusting lots of natural gas, oil and coal. Resulting in lots of carbon dioxide “emissions.”



So, why aren’t the people hard-selling EeeeeeeeeeVeeeeeees telling people these things? Well, for the same reason the same people didn’t tell the people about the “vaccines” – until after they’d been injected with them.

 

[marsh]

Political Bias Affects How Americans Feel About Food Inflation: Study

Inflation is hitting people hard at the grocery store and crushing the budgets of millions, yet not everyone is ...

www.theepochtimes.com

Political Bias Affects How Americans Feel About Food Inflation: Study​

By Emel Akan

September 20, 2022 Updated: September 20, 2022


Inflation is hitting hard at the grocery store and crushing the budgets of millions, yet not everyone is complaining about rising prices to the same degree. A new study revealed that the way Americans feel about food inflation depends on their political views.

A survey by Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability discovered that liberals and conservatives have different perceptions of rising costs. Liberals are way too optimistic about food inflation, according to the survey conducted among 1,200 people from all over the United States.

Compared to conservatives, liberals say they’ve experienced less food price increase over the past year, and they foresee less food price inflation in the future.

It’s interesting to observe “the divergent perceptions of food inflation between liberals and conservatives,” according to Jayson Lusk, the head and distinguished professor of agricultural economics at Purdue, who leads the center.

“Not only are liberals severely underestimating the increase in food prices from last year but conservatives’ expectations for inflation are also likely overstating its rate for the coming year—at least compared to U.S. Department of Agriculture predictions,” Lusk said in a statement.

Nevertheless, conservatives and liberals share some common ground when it comes to spending. Consumers reported spending an average of $114 per week on groceries and $67 per week on restaurants and takeout meals. Food spending is almost identical across the political spectrum, according to the study. Liberals, however, place food price inflation approximately three to four percentage points below conservatives.

Source: Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability

For example, based on the survey data collected between January and August, liberals think food price inflation has been 6 percent for the past 12 months, compared to conservatives who said 9 percent. In addition, liberals think food prices will go up by 3 percent over the next 12 months, while conservatives think they will rise by 7 percent.

These forecasts are far lower than the recent official figures. The August inflation report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Sept. 13 showed that the food index surged at an annualized rate of 11.4 percent. Grocery store prices jumped 13.5 percent year over year, while food-away-from-home rose 8 percent. Overall, the food index saw its biggest annual increase since 1979.

Americans have begun to feel the effects of drastically increased farming costs this year. Fertilizer prices have been rising due to surging input costs and supply disruptions caused by conflict in Ukraine. Fertilizer prices are expected to rise further as plant closures in Europe tighten global supplies, placing more pressure on food costs.

As a result, while Americans are seeing lower prices at the gas pump, they aren’t getting the same relief in food and other areas. Almost everything outside of the energy index was up across the board last month.

High inflation has also increased the demand for food assistance. The Purdue survey revealed that 25 percent of self-identified liberals reported getting free groceries from a food pantry or food bank, compared to 18 percent of moderates and 16 percent of conservatives.

In addition, liberals care the most about social and environmental sustainability of their food. And there’s a big disagreement over whether “eating less meat is better for the environment,” according to the survey. Liberals are roughly twice as likely to identify as vegetarian or vegan as compared to moderates and conservatives.

According to the survey, conservatives are less likely to rely on the Food and Drug Administration, The New York Times, CNN, or academic institutions when seeking information about food, instead preferring more traditional sources such as family, doctors, friends, and the Department of Agriculture.

Furthermore, when asked to choose their top three budgetary stresses, shoppers reported food costs as the highest, followed by gas and rent/mortgage. The ranking emphasizes the important role that food plays in household budgets. It also explains why food price inflation has been so widely discussed over the past year.

“We don’t have previous data to show whether this is a recent phenomenon given the high price environment,” stated Sam Polzin, a food and agricultural survey scientist for the center and the co-author of the report. “But at a time when consumers continue to make changes to their shopping to adjust to prices, this highlights that food is one of the first essentials that gets squeezed under budget stress.”

 

[marsh]

It's Crazy On Many Levels, But Cook County Has Launched Its 'Free Money' UBI Program | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

It's Crazy On Many Levels, But Cook County Has Launched Its 'Free Money' UBI Program

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 01:20 PM
Authored by Mark Glennon, co-founder of Wirepoints.org,

“Teach a man to fish and he will still just eat the fish given away free.”
-Socrates

Socrates didn’t really say that. I just made it up.

I made it up because some wise man should have famously said it for the sake of those who seem oblivious to that fundamental aspect of human nature.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle

Among the oblivious are Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle and the rest of her board. Last week she announced the county’s version of what’s often called UBI – universal basic income. Under the program, the county will send monthly payments of $500 to $3,250 to its residents who successfully apply for two years. At $42 million, it’s “the largest publicly-funded guaranteed income initiative in American history,” Preckwinkle says.

UBI programs are sometimes called “free money” programs, as in this column describing 13 similar programs in certain cities around the nation. “Free money” is a fair label because that’s exactly the point – to make cash handouts with no strings attached: no work, disability or training enrollment requirements, no regard for how much the recipient is getting from other assistance program and no real questions other than household income.

Eligibility is open to anybody 18 or older with a household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level – or about $58,000 for a family of three. About 36% of all Cook County residents will therefore be eligible, Preckwinkle says.

This is madness for so many reasons.

First, job openings across America still hover at a record 11 million – twice as many openings as people seeking work.

“Take the damn jobs” should be express public policy, not free money, except for those who cannot work. With no work incentive whatsoever, Cook County’s program breeds government dependency in its purest form.

Second, the $42 million to fund the program comes from ARP, the American Rescue Plan passed last year – federal money supposedly for pandemic relief.

Where’s the federal oversight on that money? Where is there any tie between COVID and eligibility for the program?

And, since President Biden just said on national television that the pandemic is over, why is federal pandemic assistance in this form to continue for another two years?

Third, the program is labeled as just a pilot. It’s called the Promise Guarantied Income Pilot. But Preckwinkle talks out of both sides of her mouth on that.

“Our promise to Cook County residents is to make this program permanent in the years to come. The name of our pilot was chosen purposefully,” Preckwinkle said, “because the word ‘promise’ reflects an understanding of broken promises of the past, and our intention to right those wrongs today and into the future.” It’s no pilot if it’s a permanent promise.

Where will the money to fund the permanent promise come from after ARP money is gone? If Preckwinkle thinks the federal spigot will remain open she’s mistaken. Washington has finally figured out that the federal spending binge is helping fuel inflation, which is a primary source of the hardship being felt by the program’s recipients. The government is paying for relief to suffering of its own making.

On that matter, by the way, Illinois is about to hand out another $371 million to towns and cities for assistance on the pandemic Biden says is over. That money, too, came from the federal government, though the Pritzker Administration is taking credit for it. “Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, Illinois has leveraged all opportunities to support our communities and accelerate a strong economic recovery,” Sylvia Garcia, DCEO Director, said. “The funding issued today is part of billions of dollars of support that has been provided to small cities and towns across Illinois.”

Finally, the program will surely be subject to abuse. The online application process reportedly takes only thirty minutes, and Preckwinkle says that bothering people with eligibility questions is just “red tape and “paternalistic”:

Historically, both public and private institutions have been reluctant to directly invest in low-income people without significant restrictions. This red tape is not because of evidence but rather based on how our society views people in poverty and questions about whether they have the character or the ability to make decisions for themselves. To put it plainly, this paternalistic view is both inaccurate and unhelpful.

That’s no way to identify people genuinely in need of assistance. Among other things, the county will ignore assets applicants have. It’s entirely possible for a household to have little or even no income for one or several years but be quite well off with money saved from good years. Many professions such as real estate development have income that’s cyclical, and serial entrepreneurs fully expect a life of feast and famine.

The only qualification question of any significance that will be asked of applicants is whether they already participate in another free money program, such as Chicago’s equally foolish program, which was recently launched. That’s the only other type of assistance program in which an applicant’s participation would bar participation in the county program. Citizenship and immigration status make no difference for eligibility.

Decide what you want about how generous government assistance for the poor should be, but shouldn’t we in any event at least do it the right way? Free money is precisely the wrong way. It’s a ticket to indolence on the highway of government dependence that will be potholed with waste and abuse.

One winner from Cook County’s program, however, may be Preckwinkle herself. She’s up for reelection in November. That quote I made up at the top is not entirely original. Somebody on Twitter once said, “Teach a man to fish and he will still vote for the candidate who gives him free fish.” Nothing beats bribing voters with taxpayer money.

 

[marsh]

New England's Power Crisis Set To Return, Regulator Warns | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

New England's Power Crisis Set To Return, Regulator Warns​

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 11:45 AM
New England's power grid could be several cold snaps away from the start of an energy crisis that reappears whenever temperatures dip because of the state's heavy reliance on natural gas generation, delayed/blocked expansion/upgrades to energy infrastructure, and lack of grid diversification.

Bloomberg spoke with Allison Clements, commissioner for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who warned New England (for our international readers, New England consists of six states in the US Northeast, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) faces another energy crisis this winter.

"We now have this every-winter crisis about what might happen in New England.
"The need for a diversified supply mix and increasingly one that doesn't rely on a global commodity as a fuel source is important," Clements said in an interview Monday.

Clements outlined precisely what we pointed out during last winter's peak in a note titled "New England Is An Energy Crisis Waiting To Happen." We said soaring NatGas prices in the region are due primarily to NatGas pipeline infrastructure having been delayed, blocked, or abandoned over the years.

She said that the region would need to increase stockpiles of NatGas and other fossil fuels ahead of this heating season to have adequate winter supplies.

Average temperatures across Massachusetts started to slope down in mid-August. Temperatures are between 55-60 degrees Freigheight, indicating the heating season could be just weeks away.



New England's grid problem is clearly outlined in Doomberg's chart below:



And no wonder NatGas prices in New England tend to be the highest in the US during winter periods...

Another serious issue is the controversial US law, the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, more commonly known as the Jones Act. This law helps ensure the US merchant marine fleet remains busy by only allowing US vessels to transport goods from one domestic port to another, barring foreign vessels.

This means New England can't receive LNG shipments from the US Gulf because the US shipbuilders don't build LNG carriers. So LNG facilities in New England have to rely on foreign shipments -- adding to the complexity of the region's issues.

And since New England competes with Europe and Asia for LNG, fuel prices could be much higher than sourcing domestically -- due in part to the global energy crisis, which is way worse than last winter.

 

[marsh]

Latest Polls Show Majority Of Americans Far More Concerned About The Economy | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Latest Polls Show Majority Of Americans Far More Concerned About The Economy

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 10:00 AM

According to recent polling by the New York Times/Siena College, 49% of Americans are more concerned about economic issues including jobs, taxes and inflation, while only 31% view social issues like abortion, guns and "democracy" as most important. These numbers seem to contradict previous claims within progressive circles that conservatives would be facing defeat in midterm elections in November over their support of state abortion laws and accusations of "insurrection."

Democrats have been anxious to find any positive election leverage in the run up to midterms, with several attempts to drum up BLM-like civil unrest after the Supreme Court's decision on abortion law allowed red states to end the previously protected practice. The public reaction was decidedly minimal, with very few protests of any note, suggesting that most Americans are not all that concerned about abortion being banned.

What people do care about, however, is not being able to feed themselves and their families. And this is a political arena which Democrats have consistently failed.

Progressives were already facing an uphill battle with voters after two years of constant covid fear-mongering, business killing lockdowns in blue states and attempts at erasing civil liberties in the name of "public safety." Now, with stagflationary pressures continuing to damage American pocket books and supply chain disruptions, there is a serious threat of economic turmoil going into next year.

The prospect of a red sweep has the political left fearful that they may be losing power and facing consequences for elevating their ideological obsessions over the security of the US financial system. The downside is that that economic instability is now likely irreversible; conservative candidates will be inheriting a built in crisis and leftists will undoubtedly try to blame them for it.

The primary benefit of a red sweep is that this will leave leftists less able to exploit economic dangers to their advantage by passing constitution infringing laws while the masses are distracted. Not the best of scenarios, but better than the alternative.

 

[marsh]

China's Gasoline And Diesel Exports Exploded In August | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

China's Gasoline And Diesel Exports Exploded In August

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 08:30 AM
Authored by Charles Kennedy via OilPrice.com,

China exported a whopping 97.4% more gasoline in August 2022 than it did the year before.

This huge increase was largely due to a new batch of fuel export quotas amid weak domestic demand.

Diesel exports from China also increased substantially in August, a nearly 52% increase from the year before.

China exported 1.12 million tons of gasoline last month, which was a whopping 97.4% increase from the year before, customs data cited by Reuters showed.

The increase came on the back of a new batch of fuel export quotas amid lukewarm domestic demand. The new quotas also pushed diesel exports much higher, up by almost 52% from August 2021 at 830,000 tonnes.

The new quotas, issued in June and July, were expected to lift fuel exports substantially in August, with total gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel exports expected to hit between 2.4 and 2.6 million tons, according to an earlier Reuters report.

Exports of fuels for the full year, however, are expected to be much lower than in 2021 because of the smaller size of export quotas as Beijing tackles domestic fuel inflation. In fact, 2022 fuel exports are set to be 40% lower than fuel exports in 2021.

Data for the first eight months of the year shows a more than 30% decline in gasoline exports and a 78.3% drop in diesel fuel exports. Jet fuel exports inched up by 4.4% between January and August.

The diesel fuel export drop might be a cause for worry in global fuel markets as global diesel supply has tightened quite considerably. It is about to tighten further from next February when an EU embargo on Russian fuels will come into effect.

China is the only country in the world with the refining capacity to boost diesel output substantially, but export quotas are being held under tight control by Beijing, limiting its ability to utilize this capacity to alleviate the global diesel shortage.

"China also has the power to change the fate of the global diesel market, if it were to ease off the brakes on rationalizing its domestic refining industry," Vortexa Chief Economist David Wech wrote at the end of August.

 

[marsh]

Watch: Biden Proclaims "There's A Through Line Of Hate" In American History | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Watch: Biden Proclaims "There's A Through Line Of Hate" In American History​

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 11:22 AM
Authored by Steve Watson via Summit News,

During comments at the ironically titled “United We Stand” summit last week, Joe Biden declared that “hate” runs throughout American history, and once again singled out those who don’t agree with his politics as ‘violent extremists’.

“There’s a through line of hate from massacres of indigenous people to the original sin of slavery,” Biden declared.

He continued, “The terror of the clan, to anti-immigration violence against the Irish, Italians, Chinese, Mexicans. So many of those laced through our history.”

“There’s a through line of violence against religious groups anti semitic, anti Catholic, anti Mormon, anti Muslim, anti Hindu, anti Sikh,” Biden further asserted.

Biden vowed to expose “hate-fueled violence”, directly citing Trump supporters and conservatives in general.

“Unfortunately, such hate-fueled violence and threats are not new to America,” Biden proclaimed, adding “hate never fully goes away, it only hides.”

Video on website .45 min

Biden further vowed to “prevent people from being mobilized to violence” and stated that one course of action would be “counter exploitation of the internet.”

In an appearance on 60 minutes this week, Biden lamented that politics has devolved into “all personal attacks”:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1571662765684563968

View: https://twitter.com/i/status/1571662765684563968
.09 min

 

[marsh]

US Building Permits Crash In August, Multi-Family Starts Hit Record High | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

US Building Permits Crash In August, Multi-Family Starts Hit Record High​

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 05:41 AM

Following yesterday's 9th straight monthly decline in US homebuilder sentiment - the longest losing streak since 2014 - this morning's housing starts and permits data will be watched like a hawk (the former expected to see a small bounce MoM and the latter - more forward-looking - a big tumble MoM).

The data was 'mixed' to say the least - August Housing Starts exploded 12.2% MoM (+0.3% exp) while August Building Permits crashed 10.0% MoM (-4.8% exp).



Source: Bloomberg

That is the biggest monthly jump in starts since March 2021 and biggest monthly crash in permits since April 2020.

The forward-looking permits print is the lowest SAAR since June 2020...


Source: Bloomberg

Both single- and multi-family permits plunged on the month...



All the gains in starts were driven by multi-family units, which soared 28.6% MoM from 483K in July to 621K, highest on record!



Finally, given the sudden realization among homebuilders, we would not be surprised if building permits (the more forward-looking signal of today's data points) collapsed in the next few months...


Source: Bloomberg

This is a dilemma for The Fed (who implicitly triggered this of course) as UBS notes, the decline of the US housing market is both disinflationary and inflationary - it lowers demand for building materials and associated durable goods, but people still have to live somewhere. If people are not buying houses, but are determined to move out of their parents’ basements, this means higher rents and more upwards pressure on the fantasy owners’ equivalent rent measure.

So be careful what you wish for Mr.Powell.

 

[marsh]

Edward Down Shares Data Findings By Team Showing Harmful Effects Of COVID Jabs 8:54 min

Edward Down Shares Data Findings By Team Showing Harmful Effects Of COVID Jabs​

Bannons War Room Published September 20, 2022

(No summary given. Have not watched)

Population with a disability - real time


Labor Force with a disability


Population with a disability Men/Women


Employed with a disability Men/Women


Employed with a disability by age group

 

[marsh]

(more)

The Pandemic Is Over: Edward Dowd Joins WarRoom To Discuss Vaccine Data 10:22 min

The Pandemic Is Over: Edward Dowd Joins WarRoom To Discuss Vaccine Data​

Bannons War Room Published September 20, 2022

(No summary given)

2010-16 Working insured about 30% less mortality than the pop as a whole.


The working insured (assumed to be more healthy) experienced 40% additional mortality in the 25-64 age group - due to vax?


Those not in this group (the not insured and working) experienced a 31.7% increase in mortality

His conclusion is it is due to the vax because they were forced to take the vax to keep their job. The rest of the population had choice.

 

[marsh]

(Italy)

Harnwell: “The Italian press is pretending that Giorgia Meloni will return the country to fascism” 2:00 min

Harnwell: “The Italian press is pretending that Giorgia Meloni will return the country to fascism” (Italian election)​

Bannons War Room Published September 20, 2022

(No summary given. Did not watch)

 

[marsh]

Nigel Farage Shares Concerns of Queen Elizabeth II's Ideals Fading in Country After Passing 14:28 min

Nigel Farage Shares Concerns of Queen Elizabeth II's Ideals Fading in Country After Passing​

Bannons War Room Published September 20, 2022

(No summary. Did not watch.)

 

[marsh]

Joe Allen: Director of Biden Created ARPA-H Intends to Edit Human Genomes at New Agency 14:25 min

Joe Allen: Director of Biden Created ARPA-H Intends to Edit Human Genomes at New Agency​

Bannons War Room Published September 20, 2022

(No summary given. Have not watched.)

 

[marsh]

Jack Posobiec On WEF Pushing For 'Climate Change' Lockdowns

Jack Posobiec dishes on how the World Economic Forum are pushing to implement a new breed of the surveillance state with climate change lockdowns, where the intended targets won't be the elites: they'

rumble.com

Jack Posobiec On WEF Pushing For 'Climate Change' Lockdowns​

Red Voice Media Published September 20, 2022

Jack Posobiec dishes on how the World Economic Forum are pushing to implement a new breed of the surveillance state with climate change lockdowns, where the intended targets won't be the elites: they'll be the middle class.

 

[marsh]

Climate Tyrants Seeking to Silence Scientists Who Disagree, Warns Geologist

Advocates for draconian controls over people under the guise of stopping alleged man-made global warming are also working to silence scientists who reject their hypotheses surrounding CO2 and climate

rumble.com

Climate Tyrants Seeking to Silence Scientists Who Disagree, Warns Geologist​

The New American Published September 20, 2022

Advocates for draconian controls over people under the guise of stopping alleged man-made global warming are also working to silence scientists who reject their hypotheses surrounding CO2 and climate change, warned CO2 Coalition Executive Director Gregory Wrightstone in an interview on Conversations That Matter with The New American magazine’s Alex Newman. Wrightstone, a geologist who has been censored by Big Tech himself, also sounded the alarm about the devastating effects that “climate” policies would have on humanity—and especially the poor. According to the scientist and members of his organization, which includes very prominent and highly credentialed experts such as Trump climate advisor Dr. William Happer of Princeton, CO2 is actually causing many beneficial effects for the planet. He also said that the geologic record shows CO2 concentrations have been drastically higher in the past.

 

[marsh]

Ep. 2879a - The Real Currency War Has Begun, Economic Structure Change Coming 16:18 min (Starts at 1:32 min)

Ep. 2879a - The Real Currency War Has Begun, Economic Structure Change Coming​

X22 Report Published September 20, 2022

Bosch is now warning that there might be a shortage of batteries just like there is a shortage of energy. The resident plan to convince the people that everything is back to normal in regards to fuel and inflation has backfired on him. The [CB] is marching forward with the [CBDC], the battle has begun.

 

[marsh]

In Focus - Biden Nears 100 EO's Set to Cost Taxpayers $1.5 Trillion 10:14 min

In Focus - Biden Nears 100 EO's Set to Cost Taxpayers $1.5 Trillion​

One America News Network Published September 20, 2022

Dr. Dave Brat joined "In Focus with Addison Smith" to discuss Biden's historic number of executive orders, which are poised to total a $1.5 trillion bill for the American people.

(Silly me. I thought all expenditures originated in the House.)

 

[marsh]

(Italy)

Italian Energy Protests Turn Violent

Terrible Check out my new store for the hottest conservative merch that will drive your liberal friends crazy! https://shop.dineshdsouza.com/

rumble.com

.09 min

Italian Energy Protests Turn Violent​

Dinesh D'Souza Published September 20, 2022

 

[marsh]

Border Deaths Overrunning Border Towns' Funeral Homes 2:57 min

Border Deaths Overrunning Border Towns' Funeral Homes​

Americas Voice Live Show Published September 20, 2022

Auden Cabello tells Steve Gruber that there are so many migrant deaths in border towns that it's overwhelming the funeral home business.

 

[marsh]

NEWSFLASH: Border towns CAN'T HANDLE the immigration crisis either 7:39 min

NEWSFLASH: Border towns CAN'T HANDLE the immigration crisis either​

Glenn Beck Published September 20, 2022

Democrats in Martha's Vineyard panicked after just 50 illegal immigrants were sent to their town. And Democrats in Washington DC are insisting that only border towns are equipped to handle the amount of migrants DC is now seeing. But Glenn speaks to a caller from El Paso, Texas, who tells a different story: Border towns are much more overrun, and their crisis, fueled by the policies of big-city Democrats, has been going on for over a year...

 

[marsh]

Putin's Annexation Has Just DESROYED The Liberal World Order!!! 10:01 min

Putin's Annexation Has Just DESROYED The Liberal World Order!!!​

Dr Steve Turley Published September 20, 2022 (Ad for Gold)

(4 regions in eastern Ukraine (Donbass) holding a referendum in the next few days (Sept 23-27) to become part of Russia after Shanghai Cooperative Organization meeting. )

 

[marsh]

DIGITAL DOLLARS and 3 More TERRIFYING Economic Changes Happening RIGHT NOW | 11:43 min

DIGITAL DOLLARS and 3 More TERRIFYING Economic Changes Happening RIGHT NOW |​

BlazeTV Published September 20, 2022

Glenn warned just days ago that governments would suggest a disturbing solution to the worldwide energy crisis: nationalizing energy companies. Now, Germany is weighing doing just that. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has recommended creating a digital dollar, England is talking about printing more money, and Russia and China are discussing creating a new currency. Glenn breaks down all these terrifying economic changes, plus President Biden's latest excruciating lie about inflation.

^^^^
Are the world's SOARING energy prices BY DESIGN? 7:53 min

Are the world's SOARING energy prices BY DESIGN?​

Glenn Beck Published September 20, 2022

Russia's war in Ukraine is not the only reason energy prices are skyrocketing worldwide. "This is by design," Glenn argues, and the fault of elites around the world who think they know better than the rest of us. As they play a green energy version of 'Game of Thrones', Glenn warns, "winter is coming" for the rest of us..

 

[marsh]

New research claims potential "unlimited clean energy" 7:04 min

New research claims potential "unlimited clean energy"​

One America News Network Published September 20, 2022

Researchers behind a groundbreaking discovery claim the world may be on track for an unlimited supply of clean energy. Is this too good to be true? One America’s Natasha Sweatte sat down with Jeff Allison, President of Delta Clean Tech to discuss.

 

[marsh]

Biden Declares 'National Emergency' After Creation of New DOJ Task Force to Combat Domestic Terrorism

“The demand for White supremacy vastly outstrips the supply of White supremacy,” said an FBI whistleblower about the bureau's fraudulent 'right-wing extremism' crisis.

thekylebecker.substack.com

Biden Declares 'National Emergency' After Creation of New DOJ Task Force to Combat Domestic Terrorism​

“The demand for White supremacy vastly outstrips the supply of White supremacy,” said an FBI whistleblower about the bureau's fraudulent 'right-wing extremism' crisis.

Kyle Becker
1 hr ago

The Biden administration has quietly perpetuated the state of 'national emergency' that was initiated after the 9/11 attacks, which were carried out by Islamic terrorists twenty-one years ago this month. On Tuesday, the White House declared the alleged ongoing state of national emergency by referring to the 2001 terror attacks:

The actions of persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001, as amended, and the measures adopted to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond September 23, 2022. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism declared in Executive Order 13224, as amended.

The perpetuation of the national emergency comes amid accusations by rank-and-file FBI agents that the Biden administration is "exaggerating the threat of White supremacists and pressuring agents to cook up domestic terrorist cases involving racist extremists."

"Current and former FBI agents told The Washington Times that the perceived White supremacist threat is overblown by the administration," the report stated. "They said top bureau officials are pressuring FBI agents to create domestic terrorist cases and tag people as White supremacists to meet internal metrics."

“The demand for White supremacy” in the FBI “vastly outstrips the supply of White supremacy,” said one agent, who spoke with the Washington Times on the condition of anonymity. “We have more people assigned to investigate White supremacists than we can actually find.”

The FBI agent said the bureau's leaders “have already determined that White supremacy is a problem” and have set a policy to prioritize finding incidents of racial violence to fit into the mold of 'domestic terrorism.'

“We are sort of the lapdogs as the actual agents doing these sorts of investigations, trying to find a crime to fit otherwise First Amendment-protected activities,” one FBI agent said. “If they have a Gadsden flag and they own guns and they are mean at school board meetings, that’s probably a domestic terrorist.”

The FBI's categorization of racial violence that may be domestic terrorism goes in only one direction: White suspects who commit violence against any 'person of color' is a potential case of domestic terrorism. If a person of color commits an act of violence against a white victim, that is typically not considered to be a potential act of 'domestic terrorism.'

The Center for Strategic and International Studies in a 2020 analysis provides an illustration of how think tanks seize on politicized terrorism data to fit the left's narrative that 'right-wing extremists' and 'white supremacists' constitute the single greatest threat to U.S. national security:

This analysis makes several arguments. First, far-right terrorism has significantly outpaced terrorism from other types of perpetrators, including from far-left networks and individuals inspired by the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Right-wing attacks and plots account for the majority of all terrorist incidents in the United States since 1994, and the total number of right-wing attacks and plots has grown significantly during the past six years. Right-wing extremists perpetrated two thirds of the attacks and plots in the United States in 2019 and over 90 percent between January 1 and May 8, 2020. Second, terrorism in the United States will likely increase over the next year in response to several factors. One of the most concerning is the 2020 U.S. presidential election, before and after which extremists may resort to violence, depending on the outcome of the election. Far-right and far-left networks have used violence against each other at protests, raising the possibility of escalating violence during the election period.

The CSIS provides a chart of the 'percentage of terrorist attacks and plots by perpetrator orientation' below (1994-2020):


While a CSIS frequency chart conflates the number of 'terrorist attacks' and 'plots,' which further clouds the actual nature of the argued terrorism threat:


The Department of Homeland Security in a 2022 National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin provides a snapshot of recent acts of political violence that highlights how terror attacks can be misclassified as "right-wing":

• The suspect in the grocery store attack in Buffalo, New York in May 2022 claimed he was motivated by racist, anti-Black, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, often referred to as the “great replacement” or “white genocide.”
• A violent attack in May 2022 in Laguna Woods, California targeted congregants of a church that serves the Taiwanese community. The attack killed one individual and wounded five others.
• In April 2022, an individual wearing a gas mask threw two smoke canisters and opened fire on a New York City subway during morning rush hour, resulting in injuries to dozens of individuals.

Here are a few facts about acts of political violence that have occurred under the Biden administration. Payton Gendron, the suspected Buffalo mass shooter, had leftist leanings and hated Fox News. The Waukesha Christmas Parade massacre that killed 5 people and injured 40 others was allegedly committed by a black nationalist who supports Black Lives Matter. The NYC subway mass shooting suspect was a black nationalist and BLM supporter. The July 2021 Capitol barricade attacker was a follower of Louis Farrakhan and National of Islam supporter. Salvador Ramos, the Uvalde mass shooting suspect who allegedly killed 19 schoolchildren and two educators, is a Hispanic-American and clearly not a 'white supremacist.' The Laguna Woods shooting suspect is a Chinese nationalist who was upset about Taiwan. A Tulsa hospital shooting suspect who was believed by some to be a 'white supremacist' was a black male upset at a local doctor.

The list could go on. Potential terrorism cases are arbitrarily not being included for reasons of political inconvenience, while others are distorted to fit the Biden administration and FBI narrative about 'far-right extremism' and 'white supremacy.'

As the Washington Times points out, the FBI whistleblower accusations coincide with the White House's creation of a new DOJ task force to combat domestic terrorism:

The agents’ revelations coincide with President Biden’s “United We Stand” summit Thursday at the White House. The summit built upon the administration’s push to root out racially motivated domestic violent extremists, which included the creation of a specialized Justice Department unit to combat domestic terrorism.

However, the FBI denies targeting groups according to their political ideology or radical identity.

“The FBI aggressively investigates threats posed by domestic violent extremists,” an FBI spokesperson told the Washington Times. “We do not investigate ideology, and we do not investigate particular cases based on the political views of the individuals involved. The FBI will continue to pursue threats or acts of violence, regardless of the underlying motivation or sociopolitical goal.”

 

[marsh]

https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/corn/nitrogen-prices-now-seeing-resurgence-fall-and-natural-gas-isnt-only-driver

Nitrogen Prices Now Seeing a Resurgence For Fall, and Natural Gas Isn't the Only Driver​

By TYNE MORGAN September 20, 2022

High input prices continue to be a pain point for farmers planning their 2023 crop needs, and nitrogen prices are now seeing a resurgence heading into fall.

Experts say the price of natural gas isn’t the only driver fueling the market as farmers look to book their fall needs.

Nitrogen prices averted a major disaster on Friday when rail companies and rail unions reached a tentative agreement and avoided a possible strike. Even with the positive news, this chart from StoneX Group shows prices are climbing back toward the highs producers saw last spring.

One ag retailer in Missouri told AgWeb anhydrous prices for falls needs were:

• $800 per ton during the fall of 2021
• $1500 during the spring of 2022
• Farmers booking fall anhydrous today are paying $1325

A retailer located in Iowa also reported a fertilizer price increase this fall. The location reported:

• Prices started around $700 during the fall of 2021 and jumped to $1500 by the end of last fall
• Prices jumped to $1,700 during the spring of 2022
• Farmers looking to book for fall of 2022 saw prices that started at $1000 per ton, but now it's more than $1400 per ton

What's Behind the Price Increase for Fall?​

What's fueling the price increases now? Ag Economists say natural gas used to be the main indicator, but that's not the case anymore.

“Historically we might have thought fertilizer is primarily an energy cost input,” says Brad Lubben, agricultural economist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Energy drives the cost of fertilizer, but so does output so does the price of corn. So do the supply shocks overseas in terms of foreign suppliers.

So do the current energy shocks in Europe, which leaves all kinds of questions about the winter natural gas supply and availability, as well as transportation and everything else that we see going on here with the challenges we’re seeing today. Volatility is something producers are going to have to manage.”

Video on website 1:23 min

Outside of the global energy battle, some economists and analysts argue the larger driver of nitrogen prices today is the price of corn.

“You have a lot of factors at play there,” says Cory Walters, an agricultural economist with University of Nebraska- Lincoln. “You have corn prices heading back up. You have issues over in Europe, you have tariffs, you have you have transportation costs, it's everything across the board is leading to this price level and this level of volatility. And I'd expect more of that going forward, as we as we move into the fall and winter.”

Josh Linville of StoneX Group says there were reports Friday that two European nitrogen plants are planning to come back online. He says that will likely be with the help of government assistance in an effort to beat the cold temperatures this winter. As a result, NOLA January futures were down $30 from the highs on Thursday.

 

[marsh]

https://www.agweb.com/news/policy/politics/russian-oil-ban-horizon-no-near-term-us/uk-trade-deal

Russian Oil Ban on the Horizon, No Near-Term US/UK Trade Deal

By JIM WIESEMEYER September 20, 2022

A U.S./U.K. trade deal is unlikely in the short to medium term, British Prime Minister Liz Truss said as she arrived in New York.

Truss said her focus was to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, along with trade deals with India and the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. “Those are my trade priorities,” Truss said.

“There aren’t currently any negotiations taking place with the U.S. and I don’t have an expectation that those are going to start in the short to medium term,” Truss told reporters en route to the U.N. General Assembly.

When asked when she thought a trade deal with the U.S. might be feasible, Truss declined to comment.

President Joe Biden echoed Truss, saying such a deal was not a priority.

What This Means for U.S. Reserves

The politicians comments come as the U.S. Dept. of Energy plans to offer an additional 10 million barrels of strategic reserve oil for sale ahead of the EU’s plans to ban most Russian crude.

In March, the Biden administration authorized the release of 1 million barrels per day from the SPR over a period of six months in a bid to lower oil prices and potentially boost domestic production through contracts with companies to purchase future oil at fixed prices.

Volumes in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve have subsequently dropped to just 434 million barrels, marking their lowest level since 1984. At the start of the year, the SPR contained 593 million barrels, and it reached its highest point in 2010, when emergency stocks reached 727 million barrels.

Phil Flynn, energy market analyst at the Price Futures Group. says "the market should be freaking out" about the end of SPR draws. He thinks, when the releases end, it's going to have the impact of losing a major producer — it will really tighten supplies. He even believes it could add another $5 to $10 premium to WTI oil prices.

The 10-million-barrel sale will bring U.S. total sales to 165 million barrels out of the 180-million-barrel target to be sold by the end of next month.

Ban on Russian Crude Oil
The reserve sale hits at a time when Global benchmark oil prices have retreated to levels seen before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and coincides with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) discussing the possibility of curbing production.
OPEC and its allies agreed to cut output next month by 100,000 barrels a day. The new sale of 10 million barrels will be of sweet crude and contracts will be awarded by October 7.

Ban preparations in the EU and other countries have already begun, triggering shortages in areas outside of oil.

Oil Ban Preparations and Adverse Effects
Europe’s biggest truck makers are stockpiling natural gas and preparing to shift to alternative fuels amid the threat of a winter shortage as Russia continues to cut off pipelines to the continent.

Europe’s scramble for oil and gas is causing a tanker shortage. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier shortage is particularly acute as much of the fleet has already been booked for winter when demand is expected to climb, especially when Freeport LNG restarts.

Meanwhile, Germany released another 2.5 billion euros of credit lines to secure gas supplies.

Josh Brazil, vice president of supply chain insights at Project44, is stationed in Germany. He says Russian oil bans, coupled with ongoing supply chain issues, will likely cause another wave of global disruption.

"In Germany, it's a little bit different because we have gas rationing coming up. The worry is more about production and keeping just factories going here that are here," he says. "Everything from just keeping factories warm to in-home heating, you name it, it's going to go right to the core of German industry of what lights are kept on and who's showing up to work."

 

[marsh]

https://www.agweb.com/markets/pro-farmer-analysis/consultant-expects-big-increase-south-american-soybean-corn-production

Consultant Expects Big Increase in South American Soybean, Corn Production​

South America(AgWeb)

By PRO FARMER EDITORS September 20, 2022

Crop consultant Dr. Michael Cordonnier initially projects South American soybean and corn production at the following levels:

• South American soybean production of 211.0 MMT, up 38.3 MMT (21.3%).
  • Brazil soybean production of 151.0 MMT, up 25 MMT (19.8%).
  • Argentina soybean production of 50 MMT, up 6 MMT (13.6%).
  • Paraguay soybean production of 10.5 MMT, up 6.3 MMT (150%).
• South American corn production of 187.5 MMT, up 11.6 MMT (6.5%).
  • Brazil corn production of 125.5 MMT, up 9.5 MMT (8.2%)
  • Argentina corn production of 55.0 MMT, up 2.0 MMT (3.8%)
  • Paraguay corn production of 5.0 MMT, unchanged.

While the initial production outlook is strong, Cordonnier says with La Niña still present, it could impact South American crops for a third year in a row.

 

[marsh]

https://www.agweb.com/news/livestock/beef/could-cheyenne-wyo-be-site-11-billion-packing-plant

Could Cheyenne, Wyo., Be Site of $1.1 Billion Packing Plant?​

By GREG HENDERSON September 20, 2022

Comments by Cheyenne, Wyo., mayor Patrick Collins suggest his city is being considered for a $1.1 billion meat packing plant. His weekly column in Wyoming media was vague, but observers believe Collins may be courting the Western Legacy project that was previously targeted for Rapid City, S.D.

"It is early in the process, but the $1.1 billion facility would be built to prevent the smells normally attributed with this kind of facility .... I will keep you updated as the project moves through the process," Collins wrote following a lunch with a company to discuss such a project for Cheyenne's Swan Ranch Business Park.

Western Legacy, according to industry sources reported by Meatingplace, is considering options other than Rapid City for its location, including Cheyenne.

Meatingplace said Western Legacy executives did not immediately respond to request for confirmation, and others close to the negotiations declined to comment, citing non-disclosure agreements.

But Western Legacy Development's hopes to build in Rapid City's new Black Hills Industrial Center have been shut down by the center's developer, who recently told the Rapid City Journal that the development does not have available space left to accommodate a plant so large.

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rojbO0DzQII
6:06 min

Walmart Finally Did It...​

The Economic Ninja

Something Just Changed At Walmart. Walmart is having a hard time dealing with a glut of inventory that is finally coming in from China. What Walmart deals this week will happen as you learn how to save money. Learn about Walmart couponing matchups. First there were supply chain shortages now there is too much inventory so stores like Walmart need to either store the goods or mark them down dramatically.

^^^^
Subscribe to read | Financial Times

Clothing retailers set for discount battle to clear inventory glut​

US stores face large stockpiles and customers made wary by high inflation
Retail sales for clothing and accessory stores have remained largely flat for the past year, according to US Census Bureau data

SEPTEMBER 18 2022

US apparel retailers are preparing steep markdowns to clear shelves ahead of the critical holiday season, as inflation pushes consumers to pull back on discretionary spending and wait for deals. Clothing stores are battling a glut of inventory and a split in spending habits, as lower-income shoppers put necessities including food and rent first while affluent consumers replace pandemic leisurewear with tailored office outfits and wardrobes for going out.

“I hesitate to call it a bloodbath, but it’s going to be ugly in terms of the amount of discounting and markdowns,” said Urban Outfitters chief executive Richard Hayne on the company’s earnings call last month. Retailers are faced with too much product “across the board”, he warned. Retail sales for clothing and accessory stores have remained largely flat for the past year, according to Census Bureau data. That is even though apparel prices were up 5.1 per cent year on year in August, according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. But inflation is beginning to dent demand, with 85 per cent of American adults saying rising prices have changed the way they shop, pushing consumers to hunt for deals, discounts and coupons or simply to shop less, a new report from polling group Morning Consult showed. That is putting retailers in a tough position. Many have more inventory than they need after supply-chain snarls caused goods ordered for last year’s holidays to arrive late. Many moved up orders this year ahead of their busiest selling season. “There is too much inventory out there even if you adjust for retailers [that have] received goods earlier than normal,” said UBS retailing analyst Jay Sole. Numerous retailers reported surging inventories for the second quarter: Foot Locker, Kohl’s and Gap reported inventories up 52 per cent, 48 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively. “Retail historically has discounted when inventory was slow,” said Simeon Siegel, managing director of equity research at BMO Capital Markets. “But retail has not had a historical version of 2020, 2021 and 2022.”

Some retailers are choosing to carry more stock after being left short last year. Lululemon’s inventory was up 85 per cent year on year, but its comparable sales were up 23 per cent. Others are having to discount aggressively. Abercrombie brand Hollister recently ran a website promotion for jeans at $20 a pair. Gap splashed multiple offers across its website including an additional 50 per cent off items already on sale. American Eagle cleared its excess spring and summer merchandise by resorting to sales that hit profits by $30mn. “This is clearly an unprecedented time in retail,” said chief executive Jay Schottenstein on its latest earnings call. A stark divide is emerging between discount and luxury brands as the holiday season — which stretches from Halloween to New Year — approaches. Low-income shoppers are struggling with inflation, said Burlington Stores chief executive Michael O’Sullivan. “The current level of promotional activity will not last for ever. But while it does, it will create a very significant headwind for us,” he said. Urban Outfitters, which also counts higher-end Anthropologie and Free People among its brands, said customer behaviour at its brands has split, with “affluence being the differentiator”. Younger, lower-income customers were spending “much more cautiously on discretionary items and often waiting for promotions before buying”, Hayne said. That bifurcation is evident as “luxury, in general, is doing really well”, said Jessica Ramírez, senior research analyst at Jane Hali & Associates. Lower-end brands will see more of a “setback in consumer shopping”, she said. Gina Drosos, CEO of jewellery retailer Signet, told the FT the split in consumers’ fortunes was clear from the differing demand for “value” and luxury-priced products. “The worst is under $250, the second worst is under $500 and the third worst is under $1,000,” she said: “The best is over $10,000.” This year’s inventory challenges already look likely to affect next year’s results as retailers including Gap, Kohl’s and Land’s End turn to “pack and hold” strategies — banking on basic styles like short sleeve T-shirts that can be brought back out and sold at later dates. Land’s End CEO Jerome Griffith said it could carry over some basic spring and summer items but for more fashion-oriented items “we want to take advantage of the promotional activity out there”. Apparel stocks have underperformed the wider market. So far this year shares of American Eagle are down about 57 per cent, Abercrombie is down almost 56 per cent, Gap is down over 48 per cent and Urban Outfitters is down over 26 per cent. The S&P 500 is down almost 19 per cent so far in 2022. This would be a tough year as retailers tried to get inventory in line with sales growth, UBS’s Sole said. “The state of play is retailers will try to use the rest of 2022 to put themselves in position for a more normal 2023,” he said.

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xGN2AF5TjQ
19:49 min

Germany Is COLLAPSING​

Neil McCoy-Ward

(No Summary given. Have not watched)

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7W7OiFiPqI
9:54 min

Biden on the DISCLOSE Act

JeffMAC

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnarHXcGN8M
54:19 (starts at 5 min)

Tackling Disinformation #SDIM22​

Streamed live 12 hours ago

World Economic Forum

Disinformation is not new. Examples of disinformation and so-called fake news campaigns are plentiful. But with increasing fears about the cost of living – exacerbated by the pandemic and the energy crisis – it is now more critical than ever to tackle disinformation head-on. Join this Special Agenda Dialogue to discuss how the public, regulators and social media companies can collaborate to increase online safety.

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8dofqlamKA
57:42 min
(starts at 6:33 min)

Preparing for the Future of Work #SDIM22​

Streamed live 14 hours ago

World Economic Forum

Three out of five workers live in countries where labour income has not yet recovered from the pandemic, while a rapidly developing cost of living crisis begins to bite. The green transition and technological advances are expected to create further disruption to jobs in the years to come in developed and developing economies alike. Join this Special Agenda Dialogue to explore how global leaders can work together towards a new era of high-wage, high-quality jobs.

 

[marsh]

(How dumb can we be? First food processors, now refineries and gas terminals. How many now 5 or 6?)

"Explosion" Rocks BP Refinery In Ohio

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 07:03 PM

The BP-Husky Toledo refinery in Oregon, Ohio, was rocked by an "explosion" around 1830 local time, according to local news WTOL, citing witnesses.

Videos posted on social media show the fire at the BP refinery.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1572371497339211777

View: https://twitter.com/i/status/1572371497339211777
.34 min

Video from a viewer shows an Oregon BP refinery in flames Monday night.

Per BP: The refinery can process up to 160,000 barrels of crude oil each day, providing the Midwest with gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, propane, asphalt, and other products. V

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1572391454559072256

View: https://twitter.com/i/status/1572391454559072256
.13 min

WTOL learned at least two people were severely burned. The cause of the fire remains yet to be determined.

Chris Howard was waiting to hear from his father who works at the plant Tuesday night. He received a phone call around 7 p.m. from a friend who works security at the refinery.

"He said it was like some sort of explosion," Howard said. "He told me there was just a big rumble at the refinery, lots of fire everywhere. He said it's the worst he's seen. Lots of people injured." -- WTOL

BP's website explained the refinery "process up to 160,000 barrels of crude oil each day, providing the Midwest with gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, propane, asphalt, and other products."

It added: "On a daily basis the refinery can produce 3.8 million gallons of gasoline, 1.3 million gallons of diesel fuel and 600,000 gallons of jet fuel."

*Developing...

 

[marsh]

Pentagon Opens Review Of Its Clandestine Psychological Operations | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Pentagon Opens Review Of Its Clandestine Psychological Operations

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 06:25 PM
Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

The Pentagon has ordered a sweeping review of how it conducts clandestine information warfare after social media sites removed fake accounts that were suspected of being linked to the US military, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

A report published last month by research groups Graphika and the Stanford Internet Observatory detailed the activity of fake accounts on Facebook and Twitter that were promoting pro-Western narratives in posts targeting audiences overseas. The social media companies removed around 150 accounts over the past few years, with some removed recently as they were promoting anti-Russia narratives about the war in Ukraine.

The report did not attribute blame for the accounts, but two unnamed military officials speaking to the Post hinted that US Central Command (CENTCOM) was involved. Separately, the Post said that Facebook removed fictitious personas created by CENTCOM to counter a Chinese claim that Covid-19 originated from the US Army bio lab in Fort Detrick, Maryland.

In response to the Graphika and Stanford Internet Observatory report, Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, ordered the review, which instructed US military command involved in psychological operations to fill the White House in on their activities by next month. Kahl said he wanted to know what types of operations were being carried out and if they were effective.

The US military has a long history of psychological operations, but its activities online in that area are shrouded in secrecy. While there are military units that specialize in psyops, such as the US Army’s 4th Psychological Operations Group, the Pentagon also employs more covert forces in this area.

A video published by the US Army’s 4th Psychological Operations Group earlier this year:

View: https://youtu.be/VA4e0NqyYMw
3:35 min

Last year, Newsweek reported that over the past decade, the Pentagon had created the world’s largest clandestine force that consists of about 60,000 people, many of whom use fake identities and operate across the world.

A major part of the Pentagon’s undercover force are people that operate exclusively online. Newsweek described them as "cutting-edge cyber fighters and intelligence collectors who assume false personas online." These cyber fighters work to gather data, but some also "engage in campaigns to influence and manipulate social media."

 

[marsh]

'The Dollar Is Once Again The World's Problem' - Chinese State Media Urges 'De-Dollarization' Amid Fed's "Financial Looting" | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

'The Dollar Is Once Again The World's Problem' - Chinese State Media Urges 'De-Dollarization' Amid Fed's "Financial Looting"​

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 05:25 PM

On the eve of The Fed's big decision to hike rates 75bps or 100bps in an effort to shock the system and tamp down out of control inflation, no lesser entity than the CCP-backed Global Times penned an editorial attacking US monetary policy, entitled: "The strong dollar should not become a sharp blade to cut the world."

The editorial begins by noting that tomorrow's rate-hike will likely further strengthen the US Dollar, which "for many countries in the world," China says, "might be the beginning of another nightmare."

"A super strong US dollar and the fall of other currencies will, to a certain extent, ease the scorching inflation in the US economy, but the world will have to pay for it."

And the dollar's strength has pushed Asian FX markets down hard to their weakest since 2003...



The Global Times then exclaims that since the end of World War II, the US has used dollar hegemony to carry out "financial looting" or "export crises" against other countries several times.

"As a widely popular phrase in the West goes, the US enjoys the exorbitant privileges created by the dollar and the deficit without tears, and used the worthless paper note to plunder the resources and factories of other nations...

... while the political elites in Washington boast of the "myth of the American system" and take credit for "alleviating the crisis," thousands of poor families around the world are being trampled by them."

And as the yuan tumbles, and Beijing's attempts (through strong yuan fixes at a minimum) to defy gravity...



...the editorial points the finger directly:

" Today, the dollar is once again the world's problem. In a sense, it's hard to believe that the "prosperity" of the US is clean and moral...

...Washington keeps laying mines but never removes them, which will eventually explode the US itself. The incompetence of US financial policymakers has been exposed by the consecutive interest rate hikes that have contributed to the abnormal appreciation of the US dollar with the purpose of defusing the severe inflation. "

Now the anxiety and insecurity brought by the US dollar to the world has heralded the beginning of the decline of its hegemony - regarding Washington's insatiable exploitation, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and other regions have explored the path of "de-dollarization," leading to the inevitable diversification of the international monetary system...

"...The instability and fragility of international financial markets have once again become prominent. It is precisely at such times that the international community should be more determined to cooperate and build a reliable, systemic and long-term multilateral international financial system. This cannot wait."

Remember, as we have noted previously, nothing lasts forever...


Read the full Editorial here...

 

[marsh]

Musk Says Starlink Now "Active" On All Seven Continents | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Musk Says Starlink Now "Active" On All Seven Continents​

TUESDAY, SEP 20, 2022 - 06:45 PM

Elon Musk said his satellite-internet system Starlink is "active" on all continents. However, the availability map on Starlink's website says otherwise.

"Starlink is now active on all continents, including Antarctica," Musk tweeted.



But the availability map of the low-latency, high-speed satellite internet service only appears "available" across the Americas, Europe, Australia -- Russia, China, and Iran appear to be blocked with no service in the foreseeable future. And not even a sign of progress in Africa (nevertheless Musk's home country of South Africa).

Even though Ukraine is shown on the "waitlist" with service not officially available -- there have been countless stories in Western media about how Musk's space satellites changed the war on the ground against Russia. Maybe there's more than meets the eye, as coverage is more widespread than reported on the map.



This month, more than 2,300 Starlink satellites are in orbit. Another 54 Starlink satellites via SpaceX's Falcon 9 reusable rocket were launched into space on Sunday night from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.



Last week, Musk tweeted Starlink "is meant for peaceful use only," in what appears to be a response to Russia's complaints about Western countries using "elements of civilian, including commercial, infrastructure in outer space for military purposes" at a recent United Nations meeting.

"It seems like our colleagues do not realize that such actions in fact constitute indirect involvement in military conflicts," Konstantin Vorontsov, the head of the Russian delegation to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs working group, said last week.

Meanwhile, Musk has said he would pursue an exception to US sanctions on Iran to supply Starlink access to the country in the Middle East:

"Internet access is an important tool for protesters and activists in Iran, which blocks many services like YouTube and many foreign media outlets in an effort to impose what the country describes as a halal internet, or one that conforms to its interpretation of Islamic law," said WSJ.

Starlink's worldwide expansion appears more widespread than what is being shown on the map offered by the company. As for "peaceful use only" applications, that remains to be seen...

 

[marsh]

Musk faces skeptics prior to 'Optimus' robot debut 1:53 min

MUSK FACES SKEPTICS PRIOR TO 'OPTIMUS' ROBOT DEBUT​

• WATCH

At its 'AI Day' on Sept. 30, Tesla will unveil a prototype of its humanoid robot, known as Tesla Bot or ‘Optimus,’ according to CEO Elon Musk, but experts are skeptical that it can show technological advances that would justify its expense.

 

[marsh]

THE BIG RESET MOVIE (ENG) The uncensored documentary about the truth of the pandemic 2:16:44 min

THE BIG RESET MOVIE (ENG) THE UNCENSORED DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE TRUTH OF THE PANDEMIC​

• WATCH

(No summary given)

 

[marsh]

(Netherlands)
Mark Rutte stealing the farmers land, has the army stealing the tractors of those who protest!! .33 min

MARK RUTTE STEALING THE FARMERS LAND, HAS THE ARMY STEALING THE TRACTORS OF THOSE WHO PROTEST!!​

• WATCH

The Hague, Netherlands… Mark Rutte is not only stealing the farmers land, he now has the army stealing the tractors of those who protest. The Netherlands has become communist dictatorship under the control of the WEF.